


A Light Not Your Own

by Seer_of_Soul



Series: Knights of the Between [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: But there’s must be drama, Characters singing, Cuz I like happy stuff, Disney Songs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Ship, Fluff and Mush, I will put more tags on this one chapter that will be harsh, Just gonna tag major characters, Kinda, Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers, Let me know if you have questions comments or something, M/M, Medium Burn, Not Beta Read, Slow Burn, Some very emotional moments, Suddenly! Angst, angst and pain, cuz otherwise we’d be here all day, i don’t trust KH3 to give my boi a happy ending, kh3 trailer spoilers, only for a little bit tho, pre KH3 release, slow burn but I’m impatient, so I made one myself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2019-10-01 19:03:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 144,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17249669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seer_of_Soul/pseuds/Seer_of_Soul
Summary: Vanitas, fearing for his life and well being, runs away from Xehanort and ends up finding something to replace what he’s lost.





	1. Dwarf Woodlands

For some stupid reason, the Dwarf Woodlands seemed like the perfect place to hide. For some stupid reason, Vanitas found comfort in the monstrous trees and violent storms that ripped trees from the ground. And, for some stupid reason, Vanitas just so happened to twist his ankle terribly during a stroke of genius that allowed him to walk outside during one of this world’s violent storms. Vanitas had tried to just walk it off, like he’d done with most of his injuries, but the end result of that was the spawning of several more unversed and a lot more pain. So, as Vanitas sat alone in a cave he’d gracefully chased a bear out of, with his ankle propped up on a pile of rocks, he wondered if he’d actually managed to break it. Those thoughts had quickly turned to thoughts of dying alone in a cave with a stupid broken ankle, then the humiliation of when Ventus would find his half decayed body, with his ankle propped up and broken. Ventus, the insignificant speck, the coward who’d completely rejected him, would laugh at Vanitas and his demise. A chittering rose around him as more unversed spawned, filling up the cave. Vanitas grit his teeth and extended his hand, commanding the creatures to absorb back into him. They did as he commanded, letting the cave fall into silence again. 

After hours upon hours of sitting there, alone in the silence and bored out of his mind, Vanitas began regretting running away from Xehanort. Sure the creep had never treated him as any more than a puppet, probably fully intending to shove his soul into the sorry excuse for a body that Vanitas had, but he’d pushed too far. Vanitas couldn’t give any more effort without risking himself, his existence, but Xehanort had pushed him for more and more, so much that Vanitas just could not give. So he’d left, abandoned the seekers of darkness and the guardians of light. They could all go kill each other for all he cared. Darkness or light, it didn’t matter who won, he’d never find peace with either of them. 

Vanitas clicked his tongue, picking up a small pebble and chucking it at the wall. It bounced off and clattered to the ground. Vanitas stared at it for a long time. Oh well, it was something to do. He picked up another pebble and aimed it for one particular spot on the wall. It barely missed, but that miss pissed him off. A small unversed spawned behind him. It growled lowly then settled down silently. Vanitas stared at it out of the corner of his eye. Well, so long as it was being quiet, it was company he didn’t mind. He picked up another pebble and aimed for that same spot. 

Almost half an hour later, if his sense of time hadn’t completely cracked it’s own head open, Vanitas heard the unversed growl suddenly. He looked back at it, seeing it arching its back like a cat, staring at the entrance of the cave. Vanitas sat up, suppressing the ripple of pain that shot up his leg, fixing his gaze on the entrance of the cave. The unversed circled around to stand in front of him, ready to pounce. There was several long moments where nothing changed, then Vanitas saw a head poke around the bend in the cave. 

“Who are you?” Vanitas snapped, trying to look as nonchalant as he could with his leg raised. He didn’t recognize this blond haired person. It wasn’t Ventus. 

The stranger held his hands up as he stepped into view, showing that they were empty. “I’m not here for a fight I swear.” He wore plain clothes, a black hoodie that was halfway unzipped over a blue shirt with some kind of half covered word art printed on it, and dirty looking ripped jeans held up with a bright red belt, everything at least two sizes too big. The only really notable thing about him was the the hair, blond, but darker than Ventus’s, with the top long and the sides buzzed short. Something else bugged Vanitas about him, like he should recognize him but couldn’t. He quickly wrote that off, he’d probably just seen his face in one of the more populated worlds he’d been to. The populous was always the last thing on his mind. 

“Who are you?” Vanitas asked again, more of a growling edge to his voice this time. The unversed churred lowly in response to his rising emotions. 

“Oh! I’m Cole. I just... I heard a weird noise coming from here and decided to investigate. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” He grinned and scratched the back of his head. Vanitas rolled his eyes and looked away. How annoying. “Is... is your leg okay?” Vanitas’s eyes snapped back towards the stranger. 

“It’s fine,” he growled, his hand closing into a fist. If this kid was gonna try to stick around, Vanitas would chuck his keyblade at him and chase him off. 

The kid fished around in the satchel that was hanging from his belt. Vanitas didn’t notice that before. The kid pulled a small vial out of his satchel, holding it out in front of him. “I have some extra potions. Do you want one? Even if your leg’s fine, having a backup couldn’t hurt.”

Vanitas glared at him, rather glad he hadn’t taken his helmet off. This way the kid couldn’t see the conflict in his eyes as he looked between the potion and his face. Vanitas carefully weighed his options. He could take the potion and feel the small bit of humiliation of accepting help from this stranger. Or he could refuse the help and die alone with a broken ankle. Then Ventus would eventually find his half decayed body.... “Fine. Give it here,” he growled, turning his face away from him. 

The stranger hesitated, then took a small step forward. The unversed snarled. Vanitas made a small ‘oh’ sound and waved his hand, commanding the creature to move out of the way. It flashed across the cave, still growling, but far enough away to not do anything. The stranger trotted forward and squatted down next to Vanitas, holding the potion out. “It works best when applied directly to the injury, or when you drink it. Do you want to use it yourself or do you want me to?”

Vanitas glowered and snatched the bottle from him, sure that the venom in his glare got through his visor. The stranger stood up and backed off, standing a few feet away. Vanitas watched him warily for a long moment, then uncorked the bottle and poured the contents over his ankle. The liquid turned to sparkling dust when it hit the air, swirling around his leg in intricate vine patterns. Vanitas felt the magic sinking into his ankle and traveling up his leg and down into his foot. A small sigh escaped his lips, but it was so soft he didn’t think the stranger heard him through his helmet. Flexing his ankle, Vanitas slowly rose to his feet, standing proudly. Only now that the pain disappeared did he realize just how much pain he had been in. “Guess it was broken....” he muttered, gritting his teeth as he tapped his foot against the ground. “That was a heavy duty potion. And you just gave it away to some stranger?” He turned around, seeing the kid standing with his back pressed against the wall of the cave, the unversed keeping him far away from Vanitas. “Stop.” He commanded it. Reaching his hand out, he absorbed it back into himself, wincing slightly as the irritation that spawned it washed over him again. He glanced towards the wall, suddenly very much wanting to break it, logic be damned. But the stranger made a small noise, a sigh of relief possibly, and drew Vanitas’s attention and misdirected emotion. “Well?” He snapped, impatient for answers. 

The stranger kept his hands raised it chest level, not looking too bothered by Vanitas’s bristling emotions. “Well, yeah. I don’t usually get into situations that could deal a lot of damage to me, and it’s always better to over heal than under heal. So why wouldn’t I offer a high strength potion to someone who needs it?”

Vanitas followed most of his logic. “But why offer it to a stranger?” His eyes widened a little as he realized he’d said that out loud. 

The kid shrugged. “No reason not to.” His mouth twisted into a semi awkward grin. “And uh, on that note... who are you?”

Vanitas felt his eye twitch. This kid was almost as irritating as Ventus. “Why do you want to know?” He snarled, half expecting this kid to actually be a friend of Ventus, that’d be just his luck. 

The kid shrugged. “Cuz... Well you don’t have to tell me. It’d just be easier to refer to you with a name rather than ‘biker guy.’ But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to!” He raised his hands a little more, holding them at shoulder height. 

Vanitas quickly weighed the consequences of actually telling him his name. If he recognized the name ‘Vanitas’ that meant he was either working with Ventus or Xehanort. If so, Vanitas could just stab him and be done with it. But if he didn’t... well there really weren’t many consequences for if he didn’t recognize that name. “Vanitas,” he said, watching his face closely. 

The stranger didn’t seem to recognize his name. He just smiled a little more and replied, “Nice to meet you then, Vanitas.”

Vanitas decided the stranger wasn’t an immediate danger to him, so he stepped back, turning on his heal to march over to where he’d dropped his backpack of supplies. He sunk to his knees and started doing stock of his stuff. The kid hovered around him, standing just a few feet away. Vanitas looked back at him, feeling his eye twitch. “Why are you still here?” The kid shrugged one shoulder, not really answering. Vanitas clipped his bag shut and stood up, slinging it over his shoulder. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before,” the kid answered suddenly. Vanitas raised an eyebrow, even though he knew he couldn’t see it. The kid shifted his weight uncomfortably. “I mean, I don’t usually see people out and about in the worlds, but I mean I don’t think I’ve seen you before. I mean, that’s a pretty distinct look... and it’s really cool so I think I would have remembered it if I’d seen you before.” 

Vanitas rolled his eyes, damn this kid could talk. “I’ve been trying to not be seen.” He glanced down at his black and red suit. He had to admit it was pretty distinct. “But I see your point.” He stepped around the kid, making his way out of the cave. 

The kid followed closely behind him. “Trying not to be seen? Are you on your own then?” Vanitas ignored him, hoping to outpace him. As tempting as it was, it probably wasn’t a good idea to keyblade someone in one of the worlds that held a princesses of heart. Someone might notice and that was the last thing he needed right now. “Um... Vanitas?” He asked, a little quieter. 

Vanitas turned around, ready to snap at him, but something about his face threw him off. He couldn’t quite name his expression, something between determination and acceptance. “What?” His tone surprised himself. He hadn’t meant to say it so bitterly. 

“Um... do you wanna...” The kid picked at his fingers, twisting them nervously. He didn’t look Vanitas in the face, his eyes focused on the design on the chest of Vanitas’s suit instead. “Do you wanna travel together maybe? I-it’s been a long time since I’ve actually met someone else who... travels, and it’s kinda lonely to travel alone.... I can’t even find... anybody else. And you seem to know what you’re doing.... Um....” He started chewing on his lip, glancing up at Vanitas’s face, then dropping his gaze again. “Just... do you want some company... for a little while? If you don’t want to that’s fine...! And if you change your mind or just want to for a little while, that’s fine too.... I just... yeah.”

Vanitas blinked, suddenly very confused. “Why?” He bit his tongue when he realized he’d said that out loud. “Why would you want to travel with me? You know nothing about me.”

The kid looked up at him, a spark of something in his eyes. “Well, I just think you’d be... good company, I guess that’s the word... phrase...?” He shook his head slightly. “I mean, it gets kinda lonely after a while and you seem like someone I would enjoy hanging out with.” He gave another half shrug accompanied with an awkward grin. 

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, his expression very clear in his voice. “You are a terrible judge of character.”

The kid cracked a grin and started laughing. “I guarantee you are not the worst person I’ve hung out with.” He put one hand on his hips, cocking them to the side and offering his other hand to Vanitas, suddenly seeming more confidant. “What do you say then? Give it a try?”

Vanitas looked between his face and outstretched hand. He could just say no. He knew he should just say no. Then a memory flashed through his mind. He saw through Ventus’s eyes, seeing Terra and Aqua standing above him. The feeling Ventus had felt was warm and sincere, so alien from any Vanitas had experienced. Before he thought better of it, Vanitas clasped the kid’s hand in his own. “Sure, for just a while.”

The kid grinned, a light sparking in his eyes. “That’s...! Cool.” He blushed a little in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head. 

Vanitas tilted his head a little, narrowing his eyes as he tried to remember.... “What did you say your name was?”

 

Cole was, admittedly, not as annoying as Vanitas had first thought he was. After about two days, his chattering had died down to non irritating levels. Like he’d said, it had been a long time since he’d seen someone who was a ‘traveler,’ whatever that meant. Vanitas had his suspicions, but wasn’t in any hurry to admit that he was a keyblade wielder, at least not until Cole drew his first. It was a sort of game, who’ll have to draw their weapon first. Vanitas was more than certain he’d win. And, coincidentally, not at all related to Cole’s presence, the unversed spawned less and less. Cole never really seemed to connect the dots that Vanitas was the source of them, only commenting on how they looked like one thing or another. 

“Hey, Vani! Look! That one’s looks like a flying teapot!” Cole laughed, jumping to his feet. The unversed dipped down, aiming to crack against his head, but Cole ducked out of the way and snatched it out of the air, holding the squirming thing in his arms. “Holy shit, I caught it...,” he gasped. He looked up at Vanitas, who was sitting on a tree root a dozen feet or so away. “What do I do now?” 

Vanitas shrugged, at a bit of a loss. “Destroy it.”

Cole looked down at the unversed in his arms. It clinked at him. “But... it wasn’t really doing anything.... It’s a flying teapot.” 

“It just tried to crack your skull open,” Vanitas shot back, pulling one knee up and setting his chin in his hand. 

Cole hummed, then let it go. The teapot flew up into the air, spinning around. Cole waved, turning to return to his seat on a tree stump. The unversed slowly floated down to hover behind him. It turned to ‘look’ between Cole and Vanitas. 

Vanitas raised his eyebrows, waiting to see what it would do. Although the unversed obeyed him and spawned from his own emotions, they had minds of their own. The unversed made the strangest choices, he’d even seen some decide to play fruit-ball, a long time ago. 

The teapot seemed to take his inaction as permission. It flew forward and slammed into Cole’s back, knocking him onto the tree stump, on his face. He sat up quickly, looking at it from over his shoulder. The unversed dropped out of the sky and landed on Cole’s back. Cole let out a grunt, apparently it was heavier than it looked. He twisted his shoulders to look back at it. It let out a small toot, like a teapot, how fitting. But then it didn’t move. 

“Is that comfortable?” Cole asked, raising an eyebrow at the teapot. It clinked at him, but still didn’t move. Cole groaned and laid back down, stretching his arms on the large stump. His feet kicked slowly, more swinging than actually doing anything. 

“What are you doing?” Vanitas asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Cole looked up at him. “It’s the rule. You can not move when the cat sits on you. You must die before you move. I have accepted my fate.”

Vanitas slid off the tree root, landing on his feet. “What?” He stepped around the stump so Cole was looking directly up at him. Vanitas, deciding it’d make conversing easier, squatted in front of him so Cole’s neck wasn’t as strained. “You do realize that’s not a cat right?”

Cole shrugged slightly. “Close enough. Acts like a cat.”

“It’s a floating teapot that’s made of negative emotions.” Vanitas was almost impressed by... whatever the hell was going on in Cole’s head. 

“Sounds pretty close to a cat to me,” Cole chirped, grinning at his own joke. Vanitas rolled his eyes, making his head roll just so Cole could see that he was rolling his eyes even though he was wearing his helmet. Cole just grinned wider. “What~? It’s true.” He kicked his feet a bit more, looking rather proud of himself. 

Vanitas swatted the unversed off Cole’s back. It floated up into the air, then floated away. “I’m bored. I want to go somewhere else.” 

Cole rolled onto his back then sat up. “Sure! Where are you thinking?” Vanitas didn’t really care, anywhere was fine, so he shrugged and gestured vaguely in one direction. Cole tilted his head, then nodded. “Sounds good.” He rolled to his feet, prompting Vanitas to rise as well. Cole started walking. Vanitas quickly overtook him, leading them. Cole fell in step behind Vanitas, watching the teapot unversed fly along overhead. 

 

The shadow came out of nowhere. One moment everything was fine, then the teapot unversed let out a shrill shriek. The next moment, something slammed into Cole and knocked him to the ground. Vanitas’s head snapped around as several small unversed spawned and scattered into the underbrush. Cole was wrestling with a large shadow heartless, trying to keep its claws away from his chest. Vanitas, acting purely on instinct, punted the heartless off of Cole, sending it crashing into a tree. Cole blinked, then scrambled to his feet, brushing himself off. “Well that’s certainly one way to do it...!” He sank into a defensive fighting stance. Vanitas did a quick analysis of it and determined that yes, this slightly less irritating than expected young man, was a keyblade wielder. The heartless scrambled to its feet, swaying back and forth for a moment, then it jumped at Cole again. It didn’t connect this time. 

The teapot unversed dropped out of the air and landed on it with a crunch, smashing it into the dirt. The teapot rose about a foot off the ground, then crumbled. Vanitas felt only a small twinge of pain, which surprised him so much, he barely noticed the heartless pulling itself up. It shrieked and lunged for Cole again, aiming for his chest, his heart. A bright flash of light overtook the surrounding area and Cole slashed his keyblade through the heartless. The shadow dissolved, leaving a solitary heart to float up into the sky. Cole straightened up and turned back to Vanitas. “Well, there’s this....” He gave a sheepish grin and hefted his keyblade, showing it to Vanitas. 

Vanitas inspected Cole’s blade. It was fairly simple looking, at first glance. The silver blade was curved slightly and not very decorated, just the simple rod with nothing fancy. The handle was shaped a bit strangely, shaped more like a cross guard than a key handle, which would give the wielder freer wrist movement. The handle was a dark purplish-blue, with small white gemstones set flush with the rest of it. Vanitas silently raised his own hand and summoned his own keyblade. Void Gear shimmered into existence. The red and purple gears reflected the soft light Cole’s blade was giving off. Vanitas hadn’t even noticed the light at first. 

“Oh thank lux,” Cole sighed, his face splitting into a more genuine grin. “I was worried you weren’t a keyblade wielder for a while. I mean, you’re obviously not from this world, but I... I’m just gonna stop talking now.” He laughed awkwardly, then turned to inspect Vanitas’s keyblade. “Wow...! It’s so intricate! It’s really cool, what’s it called?”

“Void Gear,” Vanitas answered, a small bead of pride swelled in his chest. Yes, his keyblade was very cool. “And yours?”

Cole paused a moment, then looked sheepish again. “Well, this guy is called Dancing Moonlight and... I should probably come clean right now....” He raised his other hand and a second keyblade appeared in his free hand. “This lovely lady is called Stars Align. She’s... she used to belong to a friend of mine... She died....” 

Vanitas blinked, not expecting that. The second keyblade matched well with the first, the handle was light blue that just a few shades off of silver. It was a bit more decorative, having three stars from the key, while thin strands twisted around each other and made up the blade. The handle was a more traditional shape, as a rectangle with the grip in the middle. Cole held it reverse style, like how Ventus wielded his, but Vanitas quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. 

“I’ve... never heard of that before,” he said honestly, more than a bit intrigued. Cole shrugged dismissively, lowering his arms. Vanitas almost inquired about the story, but the look on Cole’s face told him he wouldn’t get any answers. 

“Well, since now we know we’re both keyblade wielders, you wanna try world hopping? I mean staying is fine, just....” He looked over his shoulder. “This forest is kinda unnerving... especially at night.”

Vanitas couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his throat. Cole looked at him, almost offended. Vanitas grit his teeth together until he got himself back under control. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of trees,” he said mockingly. 

Cole shrunk back a little, his lips twisted into a mildly annoyed pout. “No...! I just don’t like that the trees have faces and move! I swear they close in while we’re sleeping.”

Vanitas rolled his eyes, making sure his head moved as well. “Fine then. I was getting tired of sleeping on sticks anyways.” He dispelled his keyblade, ready to summon a corridor of darkness. 

Cole tilted his head, looking more than a little confused. “Uh, where did you want to go then? Because uh... nevermind. Where did you have in mind?”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, summoning a corridor. Cole’s eyes went wide. Vanitas felt his lips twist into a slightly sadistic grin. He grabbed Cole by his arm and yanked him into the corridor. “You’ll just have to find out when we get there.” Cole let out a yelp as his keyblades dispelled. A moment later, the corridor closed behind them, leaving the Dwarf Woodlands in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have several chapters already written so I’ll probably be quick to update the next few. Let me know what you think! ^^ b


	2. Neverland

Vanitas stepped out of the corridor gracefully, with Cole stumbling out only to fall on his face. Vanitas surveyed the surrounding area, quickly figuring that they’d landed in Neverland. A short series of uncomfortable memories churned beneath the surface of his mind, but he shoved them back down. Cole pushed himself to his feet, looking around with the most confused expression on his face. Vanitas raised and eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. “What’s that look for?”

Cole shook his head very slowly, almost disbelieving. “I... I’ve never been here before. What is this world?”

Vanitas hummed slightly, shifting his weight onto one foot and resting his hand on his hip. “It’s called Neverland. We’re not near any distinct landmarks, but it is Neverland.” Vanitas scanned the sky for any sign of flying children. Thankfully, the sky was clear. 

Cole started investigating the surrounding trees like a curious cat, looking them up and down. He looked back at Vanitas, beaming like a second sun. “Oh yeah, thank goodness. These trees look like they won’t steal my soul in my sleep.”

Vanitas snorted, then quickly looked away. What the hell was that? His hand drifted up to cover his mouth and nose in... embarrassment? But his hand collided with his helmet, sending a small wave of relief through him. He probably hadn’t heard that. Vanitas looked over at Cole, finding that he’d tried to climb a tree, but hadn’t gotten two feet off the ground before he’d gotten stuck, hugging the trunk like a panicked koala. It took a disturbing amount of effort not to laugh. How could someone this... carefree?... wield a keyblade. The keyblade was supposed to be a weapon of warriors with strong hearts. He recalled the expression Cole had worn when introducing his second keyblade. Perhaps this carefree attitude was an act? Or a defense mechanism. Vanitas shrugged the feeling off and stalked over to Cole, pulling him off the tree so he landed on his feet. 

“Thank you....” Cole sighed, rubbing at his forehead. He looked embarrassed. He smiled a little at Vanitas, then looked up at the tree branches above them. “I think there’s a bird nest up there.” 

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, setting his hands on his hips. “Okay...?”

Cole shrugged, looking back at him. “Just a thing.” He tilted his head and smiled a little. “So, where do you wanna go first?”

Vanitas shrugged, then glanced up at the sky again. “The inhabitants of this island aren’t exactly... welcoming. There are three different factions, the natives, the pirates, and the lost boys. I don’t particularly want to run into any of them.”

Cole’s eyebrows shot up, his mouth forming an ‘o’ shape. He blinked hard and shook his head. “So where to then? You said something about landmarks? Do you have any favorites?”

Vanitas paused for a long moment. Favorite? His favorite? He hadn’t given it much thought before, but.... “There’s a waterfall near the center of the island.... It’s... nice?” He felt something twist in his throat. He’d never really... appreciated the waterfall before, he’d been too preoccupied with other things the last time he was here. But... people liked waterfalls right?

Cole seemed to like the idea, he nodded and bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. “Ooooh! A waterfall?!” He grinned like a second sun, apparently excited. 

Vanitas tapped his finger against his helmet, thinking. “It’s actually quite a walk, especially without using any of the shortcuts and avoiding the locals....” He briefly had the idea to try to find some pixie dust, but that plan was risky. He didn’t know how any of the island’s inhabitants would react to him, he wasn’t in any hurry to find out. 

“Walking’s okay,” Cole said suddenly. Vanitas looked up at him. Cole jumped a little, looking embarrassed. Apparently he hadn’t meant to say that. “Uh... I mean, I don’t mind it if you don’t.” He scratched his cheek sheepishly, then glanced at Vanitas with a small smile. 

Vanitas considered the other options, then decided walking was just fine. “Sure, walking’s fine.” He pointed towards the mountains that just barely peeked over the tops of the trees. “Those are at the center of the island, so we should head that way.”

Cole nodded, looking rather pleased. “Alright...! That way it is then.” He turned on his heal, and took a step. 

Vanitas fell into step beside him. He couldn’t stop thinking about the question. ‘Do you have any favorites?’ He hadn’t really thought about what he liked before. Between focusing on getting stronger, gathering the unversed, and despising Ventus for being happy when he couldn’t be, Vanitas had never really picked favorites. Something about that realization bothered him. Maybe he was just a shadow after all. And yet....

 

Long after the sun had set and the two of them had settled down to sleep amidst a cluster of tightly grown trees, laying almost as far away as they could from each other, Cole slowly raised his hand up towards the crescent moon. Vanitas didn’t move. Cole had probably thought he’d fallen asleep, he’d thought the same of Cole. Vanitas watched Cole make a shape with his hand, Vanitas couldn’t see with his wrist in the way. Cole held his hand there for a long time, several minutes at least, before slowly lowering it to cover his face. He rolled over onto his side, facing away from Vanitas, and didn’t move again. After several long minutes, Vanitas turned onto his side as well, closing his eyes. He didn’t intend to sleep, he really didn’t need that much, but the next thing he knew, it was morning. 

 

The sun shone through the leaves of their third day of walking towards the mountains. Vanitas was about to say ‘fuck it’ and send some unversed to find some fucking pixie dust when he heard a twig snap off to his left. Vanitas felt his body fall into a relaxed state, mentally preparing to summon his keyblade. He knew it had just been a fantasy that they’d make it through the world without running into any of its inhabitance. The people of Neverland were astoundingly perceptive, and had an uncanny ability to find people in the forests of the island. He glanced at Cole, he didn’t seem to have noticed the sound. Vanitas kept his senses alert as they continued walking. There was nothing else after several minutes and, had he been anywhere else, Vanitas would have dropped his guard. But the people of Neverland were well adapted to moving silently through the trees. 

So, even after several more minutes of silence, Vanitas’s nerves were still on edge. He briefly considered just shooting off a blast of magic just to get rid of the suspense. But before he could make a decision, Cole spoke up suddenly. “Hey Vani, do you ever think about animals?”

Vanitas almost dropped his guard from the sheer unexpectedness, but when Cole looked over his shoulder at him, Vanitas saw a warrior’s intent in his eyes. Oh, so he was just distracting their pursuers, throwing them off. Vanitas stopped walking, leaving Cole to stop after several more steps. They had stopped in a clearing, about eight feet across. This left them almost five feet apart, facing each other, with a clear view of what was behind the other. Vanitas raised his eyebrows, even though he knew Cole couldn’t see them, kind of impressed. This hopeless carefree person was actually a strategist, go figure. Vanitas tilted his head, leaving his hand relaxed and ready to summon his keyblade. “No, can’t say that I have.” Vanitas let his hidden eyes travel the tree line, looking for any kind of disturbance. 

Cole kept his eyes focused primarily on the space behind Vanitas, appearing that he was looking at his face, but actually looking for danger. “I was just thinking, we haven’t really seen any animals. I mean I saw some squirrels and song birds, but there haven’t been any bigger animals.”

Vanitas tilted his head back slightly, scanning the skies now. He saw the briefest glimpse of something orange that was much too big to be a song bird. “Oh? Well they probably sensed that we were coming and ran away. The smarter animals tend to do that you know.” Vanitas flexed his fingers, feeling the magic that summoned his keyblade gather in his hand. 

Cole smirked, it was the first time Vanitas had seen a smile on his face that wasn’t made of happiness. He raised his left hand, his reverse grip hand, and waved it in response to what Vanitas had said. “Oh, I’m sure there’s some larger animals around somewhere.”

Vanitas felt his own lips twist into a smirk. “Larger yes, but not intelligent.”

A flurry of movement erupted around them as several small humanoid figures leapt out of hiding. Vanitas felt the weight of Void Gear appear in his hand, already turning on his heal to slash at the nearest attacker. He connected with something large and brown, sending it flying back into the trees. He heard Cole’s keyblades materialize and heard a sharp smack as he sent something purple tumbling backwards several feet. The other small attackers stopped where they were. Vanitas found himself staring down an older child, maybe ten or eleven at most, dressed as a fox. He looked terrified, one foot stepping away. Vanitas heard one of the lost boys sniffling, but he refused to lower his guard. 

“What the...?!” Cole yelped. Vanitas spared a glance at him, seeing him stare down at a small child dressed at a skunk. “Vani, these are kids.” He dispelled his front facing keyblade and knelt down, gently touching the skunk boy’s head. “Aww geez. We’re sorry. You scared us pretty good, kiddos.”

The skunk boy sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve. The rabbit boy stepped forward, staying far away from both of them. “We thought you were pirates!”

“Pirates? No, we’re not pirates. Promise.” Cole smiled at the boys. He dispelled his other keyblade and looked back at Vanitas, almost expectantly. Vanitas figured that they weren’t in any immediate danger anymore, so he straightened up, but kept his keyblade in his hand. Cole seemed to deem that acceptable, since he looked back at the lost boys and stood up. “Is everyone okay?” Vanitas saw the rest of the lost boys creep back into view. He kept his grip on Void Gear’s handle loose, not trusting these brats one bit. 

The rabbit boy nodded. “Yeah we’re alright.” He rubbed his nose on his sleeve, becoming the skunk boy over. The small child scurried over to him, clinging to the fabric of his pants. The boys suddenly cocked their heads to the side, all at once. Vanitas heard the faintest of echos reverberating through the trees. “Pan’s back!” The boys shouted in a staggered cheer. The group raced off into the trees, wide grins all around. 

Cole blinked, tilting his head. “Uh... okay? Bye.” He looked back at Vanitas, looking very confused. “What was that...?”

Vanitas gave a small sigh, then started walking towards the mountain again. “Come on. Let’s get far away before they decide to come back.” He passed by Cole, who jogged to catch up and fall into step beside him. 

“Were those actually kids? Or just very small people?” Cole asked, dodging around a tree. 

“Kids. They’re the lost boys. We don’t want to get mixed up with them.” Vanitas silently wished Cole would just drop it. But not all wishes come true. 

“But they’re so young! Don’t they have adults around at all?” 

“The pirates. And the natives.” Vanitas said firmly, a bit of a tone slipping into his voice. 

Cole’s face slipped into an expression part way between shock and horror. “But Vani... didn’t you say the three unions were at war....” He trailed off, almost like he’d snapped his mouth shut. Vanitas glanced over at Cole, he wasn’t looking at him. Cole was looking down at the ground in front of him like it had suddenly started spinning. “I... I mean... they’re just kids... they shouldn’t have to fight a war....” That was a very emotionally charged statement. 

Vanitas felt an emotion bubbling up inside him, several unversed popped into existence around them. One scurried up to Cole’s leg and started trying to bite it, but it’s mouth was much to small. Vanitas turned away, refusing to acknowledge the spike of pain that was spiked through him. “It’s not a war. It’s a playful squabbling.”

“Oh!” Cole chirped, eyes going wide. Vanitas blinked, looking back at him. He just got fucking whiplash. Cole seemed satisfied with that perspective and started walking towards the mountain again. “We should make it to the mountain today right?”

Vanitas nodded slowly, staring at Cole’s back like it has sprouted extra arms. That was a suspiciously quick mood change. Vanitas gave a grunt of confirmation and followed after him. The unversed scurried around his feet, acting like over excited dogs. 

 

Cole found the river first. One moment he was walking ahead of Vanitas, pushing foliage out of the way as he picked his way through the trees. The next moment he let out a yelp and disappeared. A loud splash hinted at his fate, followed by a string of growled cursing. Vanitas was a bit more careful about where he put his feet, reaching the edge of the river bed and looking down at Cole from his perch on the tall riverbank. He raised both eyebrows, temporarily forgetting that Cole couldn’t see his expression. 

Cole looked up at him, pouting a little bit. “I think there’s a river here.” 

Vanitas crossed his arms and bent down. “Oh you think so do you?”

Cole nodded, a huge cartoonish frown on his face. “My pants are wet....”

“I can see that.” Vanitas tilted his head to the side. Though he wouldn’t let Cole know, this was more than a little amusing. 

Cole slowly climbed to his feet, flicking his arms to throw water off his arms. The river was slow moving and came up to his mid-calf, so it took him a minute to wade to the edge and climb out of the river. He sat on the bank, looking more than a little unhappy. He yanked his running shoe off, pouring a considerable amount of water out of his shoe. He set it aside and pulled his sock off, ringing it out. Vanitas sat down on the bank, letting the tip of one boot trail in the water as he laid his chin on the knee of his other leg. He watched Cole repeat the processes with his other foot, spreading his toes and stretching his legs out over the water. 

“Careful,” Vanitas chided, a grin slipping onto his face. “The crocodiles night eat your feet.” 

Cole instantly yanked his legs back over dry land. Then he sat up and narrowed his eyes at Vanitas. “Wait....”

Vanitas struggled to keep in a snort of laughter, biting the inside of his cheek. Cole had no such reservations, bursting out into laughter a moment later. He sat up and crossed his legs, holding his stomach with one hand and covering his mouth with the other. Vanitas coughed slightly, turning his head away, but looking back at him. “It wasn’t that funny...,” he murmured. 

Cole composed himself a minute later, snickering as the grin didn’t leave his face. “No no, it’s just that-“ He giggled into his hand. “I just should have guessed you had a kinda morbid sense of humor.”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. “Morbid sense of humor?”

Cole snickered again, a wide grin on his face as he turned to stare across the river. “Just a smidge. Morbid but not too gruesome, yeah? I should have figured that out from the punk goth muscle suit...” He shook his head, still smiling. Vanitas glanced down at himself. Oh yeah. He’d forgotten about his tight fitting armor. Cole ruffled his own hair, leaning back on one hand. “So... I guess that means you don’t hate me then... since you’re comfortable enough to make jokes like that....”

Vanitas was a bit surprised by how far his eyebrows rose. He leaned a little closer to Cole, eyes narrowing. “Hate you? When have I ever given that impression?”

Cole’s smile dropped, Vanitas almost heard it shatter on the ground. The color drained from his face. Apparently he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He forced a shaky smile back onto his lips. “Uh... well.. it’s... nothing really.... Just... a concern....” 

Vanitas blinked, tilting his head. “A... concern...?” He vaguely remembered knowing about something like that before, before he had been split from his light. He huffed and rolled his eyes. “If I hated you I promise you would know.” He pushed any thoughts of Ventus out of his head. 

Cole gave a small, genuine grin. “Well that’s good to know.” He gave a small laugh, but still seemed oddly detached. “So, uh... the waterfall...!”

Vanitas was more than a little relieved for that particular conversation to be over. He didn’t want to think about what he thought about Cole if he didn’t hate him. “It shouldn’t be too far. Just follow the river.” 

Cole nodded, standing up, being very careful not to fall in again. “Hopefully my clothes will dry off before too long.” He picked his shoes up, stuffing a sock in each one. “Shall we go then?”

Vanitas grunted in affirmation, rising to his feet. He started off along the river bank, going the opposite way that the river was flowing. He felt an emotion bubbling up inside him, but didn’t pay any attention until an unversed spawned underfoot. The small blue thing squeaked and ran around his feet, vying for attention. Vanitas quickly reabsorbed it, glancing back at Cole. He didn’t seem to notice, but there was no way he didn’t notice that, so he just didn’t seem to care. Vanitas bit the inside of his lip, forcing his emotions down. He glanced down at Cole’s bare feet. “Don’t cut your feet. I actually want to finish this today.” Cole nodded slightly, a small smile on his face. Vanitas felt a bit of an emotion he couldn’t name rise in his throat, but he quickly pushed it down. 

 

They heard the waterfall before they saw it. Cole sprinted ahead, finding a clearing in the trees. He’d put his now dried shoes and socks back on by now, claiming that the path was getting ‘stick-ier.’ Vanitas walked a little faster to keep up with him, not wanting to loose sight of him in Neverland of all places. When Vanitas caught up to Cole, he saw that the other was standing close to the misty spray of the massive waterfall, staring up at it. Vanitas followed his gaze, glad his helmet blocked the worst of the sunlight. 

The waterfall was broken up into three layers, like massive steps. Each emitted an overwhelming spray of mist with a rainbow sprouting from each cloud. There might have been a double rainbow in the highest mist spray, but it was too far away to be sure. Vanitas glanced at Cole, seeing the mist starting to gather on his face as he beamed up at the waterfall. Vanitas could almost see the light emanating from his heart. He looked down, silently cursing himself. Of course, he was just a shadow after all. A pure darkness, an abomination beyond hope of salvation. The voice in his head sounded a lot like Xehanort, but that didn’t make it any less painful. Vanitas winced as unversed spawned around him, crying out in pain. 

A soft hand touched Vanitas’s, making him jump. His head snapped up and he saw Cole standing rather close, his eyes filled with a soft, genuine light. “You were right Vani. It’s beautiful. I think it was totally worth the trip.”

Vanitas felt the emotions inside him slowly start to die down. And slowly, the unversed quieted down as well. A few scampered away, disappearing into the forest. Most simply stayed put, growling and grumbling quietly. But a couple crept closer, seemingly interested in what had happened to their master. Vanitas looked away, feeling something painful twist in his chest. “Sure,” he huffed, not really sure what else to say. 

Cole’s eyebrows shot up suddenly. He twisted around, looking down at an unversed that had clung to his leg. It stared up at him and squeaked, hugging his leg tighter. Vanitas stared down at the creature. This one was... new. He’d never seen one like this before. It was a light purple color, looking a little like an animal, four thin legs and a pointed snout. Vanitas wasn’t really sure what to make of it, but Cole went straight for it, plucking it off his leg and cradling it to his chest. The creature cooed softly, wrapping its arms around Cole’s neck and nuzzling against his collarbone. Vanitas wracked his brain, trying to name the emotion. It wasn’t really definite, and it wasn’t a pure emotion, but if he had to put a name to it... he’d say it was sentiment. Vanitas decided he absolutely did not like that idea. He chose to believe it was simply something else, spawned from a mixture of other emotions instead of... that one. 

Cole petted the creature’s head, smiling sweetly. “Awww. He’s so soft.” He giggled a little when the creature cooed and licked him. “That tickles...!” He looked up at Vanitas, a smile on his face. “Do you wanna pet him Vani?”

Vanitas shook his head, looking away. He really just wanted to get away from this emotion spawned thing. A noise pierced through the air around them, sounding like a human imitation of a rooster’s crow. The unversed that remained, except the one held securely in Cole’s arms, scattered. “Oh no....” Vanitas hissed, gritting his teeth. He turned on his heel, eyes focusing on the figure of a teenage boy flying high above the tree tops. “Ffffffff....” Vanitas felt his eye twitching as the lost boys popped out from behind the trees. 

Cole stepped closer, loudly whispering to him. “Vani that person is flying.” Vanitas glanced at him and saw that he was holding the strange unversed tighter. 

Pan swooped down and landed in a couch on a large bolder to the side. “Well well well, who do we have here? Some pirate spies?!”

Cole did not seem to be able to read the atmosphere. He stepped forward and chirped back a reply. “Nope! Just some travelers looking at the waterfall.”

Pan seemed a little disappointed. “You mean you’re not pirates?” He bounced up and stuck one leg out, then sat down fully with one leg dangling over the side of the rock. Vanitas kept his eye on the rest of the lost boys, mentally counting and keeping track of them. 

“No.” Cole shrugged sympathetically. “Who are you though? I’m Cole and this is Vanitas.” Vanitas felt a small bit of emotion rise inside him, briefly fearing that Pan would remember him. 

But Pan didn’t seem to. He leapt to his feet and strolled over, walking on air. “Nice to meet you! I’m Peter Pan!” He suddenly leapt into the air, doing a quick back flip and finally touching down on solid ground. Cole applauded quietly, just clapping his fingers together. The unversed crawled onto his shoulder and draped itself around his neck. Vanitas figured that it might be for the best if he let Cole deal with these people.

“Nice to meet you too Peter. Nice flying!” Cole grinned, patting the unversed on the head. 

Pan suddenly grabbed Cole’s shoulders. “Hey! Hey! Do you want to fly too?”

Cole’s eyes lit up instantly. “Can I?” 

Pan nodded enthusiastically, a grin splitting his face. Vanitas suddenly regretted letting Cole deal with these people. Pan waved his fairy over. She flew down and jingled at him. Pan nodded and the fairy flew towards them. Vanitas tried to duck out of the way, but the fairy was relentless. She spread pixie dust over him and Cole. Cole made a curious noise, inspecting the dust that landed on his hand. Pan lifted off the ground, doing another flip in the air. “All you need to fly is faith, trust, and pixie dust! Then, you think of a happy thought and you fly!” 

Cole looked excited, closing his eyes for a moment. After a moment his eyebrows pinched together, a frown slipping onto his face, then a smile replaced it, and Cole started to float into the air. He opened his eyes and grinned. Pan laughed and flew higher into the air. Cole floated up after him, grinning all the while. Vanitas watched him ascend, the unversed clinging to the back of his hoodie. The rest of the lost boys started flying as well, doing tricks and acting like they were swimming. Vanitas stayed firmly planted on the ground. Cole looked back at him and tilted his head. He slowly floated back down, hovering in front of Vanitas. “What’s up Vani? Don’t you want to fly?”

Vanitas huffed slightly and turned his head. “Don’t think I can,” he murmured. Then he silently cursed himself for saying that out loud. 

Cole tilted his head, making a small noise. “Is it the happy thought?” He gave a soft laugh, touching down for a moment. “It took me a second too. But... well you said you liked the waterfall and....” He turned around, gesturing to it. “There it is. Why don’t we go see it from the top?” He floated up a little, extending his hand to Vanitas. 

Vanitas looked at his hand for a moment, then up at Cole. He had a soft smile on his face, not too bright or forceful. Vanitas glanced at the unversed hanging over his shoulder. It chirped at him and tilted its head. Vanitas gave a loud sigh and reluctantly took Cole’s hand. He supposed seeing the waterfall from the top would be nice, a good view if nothing else. Cole’s expression had nothing to do with anything. Vanitas felt his feet slowly lifting off the ground. A second ‘not sentiment spawned’ unversed appeared under his feet. It jumped up and latched onto his leg, causing Vanitas to waver. But Cole held his hand tightly and slowly let them rise into the air. Vanitas looked down and almost laughed. He was actually flying, who would have thought he could? 

 

The view from the top of the waterfall was beautiful. Vanitas and Cole sat on an outcropping rock. They were sitting noticeably closer than they had before. The two unknown unversed had settled in between the two of them, curled up around each other. Cole was swinging his legs happily as they watched the sun setting over the sea. Pan and his brats had gotten bored a while ago, flying off to fight the pirates. Cole hadn’t looked worried, probably still believing that they were just play fighting. Vanitas was rather adamant about not clearing up that particular misconception. 

“Hey Vani?” Cole said suddenly, not looking at him. Vanitas hummed, looking at him without turning his head. He noticed how the light reflected off his face and the couple strands of hair that fell from behind his ear. He tilted his head slightly. “What’s your favorite color?”

“What?” Vanitas blinked, fully turning his head. He stared at him, a bit baffled. A small mouse-like unversed spawned by his hand, quickly scurrying away from the ‘not sentiment’ unversed that immediately tried to catch it. 

Cole turned his head to look at Vanitas. “What’s your favorite color?” He looked like he actually meant it, he wasn’t just... teasing. 

Vanitas didn’t know why he was surprised by that. “Why?” He asked, still a bit defensive. 

Cole gave a small shrug, turning his face back towards the sunset. “Because... well when I asked you about your favorite place on this island you kinda... acted like you’d never thought about what you liked before. So... I figured I’d ask. You don’t have to answer though, if you don’t want to.”

Vanitas was quiet for a long time. He stared at the colors of the sunset, trying to just pick one there. But he just couldn’t think of one. A silent moment passed, the only sound was the roar of the waterfall below them. “Blue,” Vanitas said suddenly. “My eyes used to be blue.”

Cole hummed softly. “Blue’s a nice color. I think my favorite is... red, at least right now.”

“Right now?” Vanitas asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well it changes sometimes. Some days I like black more. Or silver. And today happens to be red.” He grinned, looking at Vanitas. Vanitas rolled his eyes, pulling his hand away from the pair of unversed that were now rolling around with the mouse unversed. 

The sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon, the sky quickly fading to grey and the moon rose behind them. Cole laid down on his back, tilting his head so he could see the moon. He held his hand up, like he’d done that night, and now that he had a better angle, Vanitas saw that his hand was shaped like half a heart. “What are you doing?”

“Making the moon a heart,” Cole said simply. 

Vanitas ducked his head to see how Cole’s hand lined up with the points of the crescent moon, making a lopsided heart that was empty in the center. “Why?”

“Just wishful thinking.... Have you heard the legend about Kingdom Hearts? How it holds all the hearts of those who have passed on, both people and worlds. I just like thinking that maybe someday it’ll empty out and let the hearts it holds return, even if just for a little while.” He lowered his hand, laying it on his chest. “But then, sometimes I don’t like that idea at all....”

Vanitas looked down at Cole, tilting his head. “You are a strange one.”

Cole let out a dry laugh, not looking at him. “Is that a bad thing?”

Vanitas moved back to how he was sitting before, then laid down on his back next to Cole. He stared at the sky as the stars slowly began to appear. “No,” he answered quietly. 

Cole let out a breath as he smiled. “Oh good...,” he breathed, sounding tired. “I was worried there, for a second....” He trailed off and when Vanitas looked over at him, he saw that Cole’s eyes were closed and that there was a soft, almost reflexive smile on his face. 

“Don’t tell me you can actually fall asleep sitting on a cliff,” Vanitas muttered, almost not expecting an answer. 

Cole’s eyes opened and he turned his head to look at Vanitas. “No way dude. I’d roll off in my sleep and only wake up when I hit bottom.” He considered that for a moment, then laughed softly. “Or, more likely not wake up at all. Just show up in the afterlife or whatever looking like a jellO stain.”

“Gross,” Vanitas mused. He pushed himself to sit up, looking back at Cole. “I think the flying brats finished their pirate raid. I hear cheering and yelling coming this way.”

Cole sat up, cocking his head to the side. “I think your right.”

“If you want to actually sleep before morning, I suggest leaving before they find us again.” Vanitas tilted his head to the side, watching as Cole carefully scooted away from the edge of the cliff and climbed to his feet. 

“I think I’ll have to agree,” he grinned, stretching out his back. He was a bit more flexible than Vanitas would have guessed. “Where to then? Disappear into the woods?”

Vanitas rose, mindful of the cliff, but not moving away. “I was actually thinking about going to another world. I’ve had just about enough of this one. The trees are loud at night.”

Cole laughed softly, glancing down as one of the ‘not sentiment’ unversed tugged on his pants leg, holding its arms up in a clear command. He knelt and picked the creature up, holding it against his chest. “That sounds fine by me. My back was gonna snap if I slept on another tree root.”

Vanitas raised his hand, summoning a dark corridor. It swirled into existence as the other ‘not sentiment’ unversed started climbing up Cole’s pants. “Why didn’t you just move?”

Cole lifted his leg and scooped the other one into his arms. He stuck the barest tip of his out as his eyebrows furrowed together. “Stubbornness.”

Vanitas almost smacked the heel of his hand against his own forehead, thankfully he caught himself since he was still wearing his helmet and that would have hurt. But he still shook his head. “That’s your own damn fault then.” He stepped towards the corridor and Cole fell into step beside him. 

“I do what I want,” Cole huffed in a time that was clearly joking. Vanitas rolled his eyes and stepped through the corridor, Cole jumping in after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus begins a budding friendship of trust and overcoming deeply rooted psychological trauma.  
> \ °<° /


	3. Deep Jungle

The first thing Cole noticed was just how much green there was. There were just so many plants everywhere. Cole saw several splotches of color, patches of flowers peaked out from under the layers of leaves. They stood on the forest floor, in a small clearing that was still covered in moss and vines, but free from big bushy plants. The second thing Cole noticed was the humidity. They’d only been there a minute and he was already feeling sticky. He let go of the two creatures in his arms. They scurried over his shoulders to climb into his hood. They seemed rather happy there. Cole glanced towards Vanitas, watching him look around like he was expecting to be attacked. “Looks like a jungle,” Cole said matter-of-factly. 

Vanitas turned around to look at him and Cole could almost hear the ‘you don’t say’ running through his head. Cole grinned, laughing softly. He wasn’t really sure why Vanitas always wore his helmet or his suit, but he wasn’t about to judge someone else’s fashion choices. Vanitas walked closer to him, glancing over his shoulder. “I think this is the Deep Jungle world. I haven’t seen another world with plant life that’s this dense.” 

“Well, that name’s kinda spot on isn’t it?” Cole huffed, looking around. The hairs on the back of his neck raised, setting his nerves on edge. “Do you... have a funny feeling...?” He asked, suddenly very worried. 

The unversed in his hood started hissing and growling. They leaned out of his hood, staring at the leaves to one side of him, the opposite way that Vanitas was standing. Vanitas stepped forward, his legs slightly bent, like he was ready to spring on the attack. “This world has a lot of wild animals. Some are dangerous.”

Cole nodded and took a step backwards. “Good to know....” He stepped to mostly hide behind Vanitas. He had the impression that Vanitas was a much better fighter than him, even if he’d never actually seen him fight. They stood in silence for a moment, watching the plant fronds bend unnaturally. There was definitely something there. 

Then, in an instant, a yellow blur launched out from the foliage, leaping towards them with a bone chilling yowl. Cole jumped backwards, extending his hand and summoning his keyblade on instinct. Vanitas dashed forward, his keyblade suddenly in his hand. He swung at the animal, which Cole identified as a leopard. The animal screamed as Vanitas’s keyblade connected with its shoulder, knocking it out of the air. Cole held his Dancing Moonlight in front of him, standing his ground as the leopard snarled at him and edged closer. Vanitas turned on his heel, advancing toward the leopard. The animal hissed and looked between the two of them. 

Cole saw intelligence in those eyes, a cold malice emanated from them that shook Cole to his very core. This creature was one of pure evil, more so than anything he’d ever seen before. The tip of his keyblade dipped slightly as he stepped back. His shoe slipped on a vine, sending him sprawling. He landed hard on his back, knocking his head against a tree root. Something disappeared under his upper back, almost like it simply desitagrated. The leopard seized the opportunity it saw and leapt at him, teeth bared and claws out. Cole barely had time to see the wickedly sharp teeth before the gear shaped edge of a keyblade collided with the side of the animal’s head. The leopard flew sideways, rolling to a stop several feet away. It screamed at them again. It backed away, then turned and disappeared into the foliage, apparently deciding they weren’t worth the trouble. 

Cole let out a sigh of relief, taking a few deep breaths to calm his poor heart. Vanitas appeared over him, dispelling his keyblade with a huff. He looked down at Cole and offered him a hand. Cole took it and Vanitas pulled him to his feet. “You dropped your guard...,” Vanitas mumbled. He almost sounded worried. That thought made Cole feel a little better. He was more than a little embarrassed about falling over. 

“Yeah....” He grinned sheepishly, scuffing his shoe against the dirt. “That... that thing was something else.... I’ve... never seen something so... pure evil.” He looked towards where it had disappeared, chewing the inside of his lip. 

“Not that you know...,” Vanitas muttered under his breath, turning his head away. 

Cole blinked, turning back to him. “Huh?” Did Vani seriously just call himself evil? Cole narrowed his eyes at Vanitas, trying to look him in the eyes through his visor. “To what might you be referring to, mister?”

Vanitas tilted his head. “Mister?”

“Don’t dodge the question. Did you just call your self pure evil?” Cole pointed a finger at Vanitas’s chest, prodding him. The suit felt weird. It had more give than he was expecting. A small voice in Cole’s head told him that he was being too pushy, that Vanitas wouldn’t appreciate the tone and the force. But he’d already said it and he wasn’t going to back down now. 

Vanitas tilted his head. “So what if I did? It’s true.” He sounded resigned to it, like he’d accepted the idea that he was pure evil, a monster. He reminded Cole of.... Cole felt his heart shifting in his chest, like it was remembering something painful. And it was. 

“Uh, no. I guarantee it’s not. You are moody and edgy, not evil.” Cole mentally slapped himself. He did not just call Vani moody... right? Well that was gonna go over well. But it was too late to stop now. Cole lost control of the filter between his brain and his mouth, just spitting out everything that came to mind. “I said it before and I said it again, you are far from the worst person I’ve hung out with. You’re even someone I like hanging out with, even if I have no idea what you think about me half the time and even if you don’t want to let yourself enjoy things. Don’t think I haven’t seen you stifle laughs at me and my jokes! If you think something’s funny then laugh! I promise I wouldn’t get anything but salty or jokingly mad. 

“And I know you’ve got some issues to work out and I’m not gonna push you to spit out your whole life story or even any bit of what you don’t want to. But I am more than happy to help you deal with any of that stuff because I’ve been there too! And I would not be here if I had been alone!” Cole felt himself start to hyperventilate. “So don’t you dare call yourself evil or anything else, because I promise you’re not. If you were I wouldn’t think of you as my friend...!” Cole took a shaky breath, feeling like the world was spinning. He took a small step back and felt his back hit a tree. He slowly slid down it, putting his head between his knees. “...I’m sorry.... I shouldn’t have exploded like that....” 

Vanitas didn’t move. Cole watched his feet, since that was all he could see from behind his hair. He expected Vanitas to be mad, to storm away and want to never see him again. But his feet didn’t move. Cole closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths as he tried to get back to normal. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d exploded like that... oh wait. Yes he did. When he left.... Cole squeezed his eyes shut as his heart started writhing in pain. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Just don’t think. Cole felt something touch the back of his head, making him jump. He opened his eyes and saw Vanitas’s boots standing right in front of him. He slowly raised his head, looking up at Vanitas. 

“You... consider me a friend...?” He asked softly, almost scared. Cole nodded slightly, uselessly trying to read his expression through his helmet. Vanitas slowly withdrew his hand from Cole’s hair. “I’ve... never had a friend before....” He hesitated, seeming to be thinking about something. “If... If it bothers you that much... then I won’t say it anymore.... If... we can be friends....” He almost seemed to wince at his own wording. But he kept his hand extended towards Cole, an invitation. 

Cole smiled softly. He’d thought Vanitas was the kind of person who didn’t know how to express positive emotions. “Yeah. We can be friends, officially. Just... tell me if I get too pushy, okay?” Vanitas nodded. Cole reached up and took his hand. Vanitas pulled him to his feet, stepping back. Even with the helmet hiding his face, he looked awkward and a bit uncertain. 

Cole tilted his head a little, hoping his eyes weren’t red. “Uh, should we go find somewhere to... sleep...? Or... something?” Vanitas nodded, looking around. He picked a direction and started walking. Cole followed after him. Then he froze. He looked over his shoulder and let out a shrill gasp. “Vani! The little guys are gone!”

Vanitas turned around, pausing mid step. “Oh. I reabsorbed them. When you fell.” He seemed to hesitate. “They... do that. The unversed are spawned from my emotions, so when they disappear, I reabsorb them and feel the emotion that created them.”

Cole raised his head, a little sad. “Oh.” He turned back to Vanitas. “What emotion were those two?”

Vanitas grumbled unhappily. “Sentiment,” he huffed, turning away. “Come on.” Cole squeaked and scurried after him. Sentiment huh? That was surprisingly adorable. He didn’t bother to suppress his grin. 

 

The two of them settled down by a small lagoon. It was shallow and barely ten feet across, water spilled into the lagoon from a small waterfall, maybe eight feet high or so. The water was a pleasant amount of warm, but not too much so. Cole tried to convince Vanitas that he should go ‘swimming’ with him, but the other had adamantly refused. Cole wondered, as he sat waist deep in the lagoon, if Vanitas really just didn’t want to take his suit and helmet off, or get them wet. Cole had stripped his shirt and pants off rather quickly after they’d stopped, having shed his hoodie after he started sweating through it. He looked over to where Vanitas was sitting by the shore, silently doing nothing. Maybe that funny looking suit was air conditioned! Cole snickered to himself, rolling onto his stomach to walk himself across the lagoon. He used his arms to propel himself forward the last little bit, laying them on the bank. Vanitas didn’t seem to notice him. Cole poked his boot. “Hey Vani.”

Vanitas jumped a little, turning his head to look down at Cole. “Hnn?” He grunted. He still sounded distracted. 

“You looked lonely,” Cole mumbled, cocking his head to the side. “Sure you don’t wanna even wade? It’s very relaxing.” Vanitas shook his head silently. He didn’t give a reason, but Cole wasn’t going to grill him on it. “Alright, I’m gonna go use the waterfall as a shower and scrub clean. Since, it’s been who knows how long since I’ve had a decent shower.” He pushed off the shore and slowly drifted away. When he stopped floating fast enough, he turned and used his hands to walk himself the rest of the way. 

Cole stood under the waterfall, feeling the warmish water run over his shoulders. He scrubbed at his hair, intent on getting all the dirt and sweat out. What he wouldn’t give for a nice, hot shower right about now. Cole closed his eyes for a minute, just feeling the water hit his back and shoulders. He scrubbed at his face, feeling better already. He grinned and stretched his arms high above his head, feeling his back crack in several places. 

When he was done, Cole slipped back into the lagoon, using his arms to walk himself across the pool of water. He climbed out of the water and suppressed a yawn. He grabbed his shirt and jacket from his pile of clothes and ducked behind some foliage. A few moments later, he stepped back out. He’d stepped out of his underwear and zipped his jacket to hang off of his hips like a skirt. He wore his shirt normally, proudly displaying the ‘Unicorn Bacon’ word art. He could almost see Vanitas’s raised eyebrow. “What? I’m not sitting around in wet underwear.” He dropped the soggy cloth next to his pants, sitting down next to Vanitas. 

“Have a nice bath?” Vanitas chimed in a teasing tone of voice. Cole grinned, happy that Vanitas was comfortable enough to tease. He wished he was that comfortable, but decided not to think about that. 

“Sure did. Could have used some soap though,” he leaned back on his elbows, looking up at the treetops so far above them. “Maybe the next world we visit will have indoor plumbing.”

Vanitas laid down beside him, folding his arms behind his head. “Maybe....” He turned his head slightly as Cole laid all the way down too. “Why are you traveling between worlds?”

Cole hummed softly. “It’s... complicated....” He glanced towards Vanitas, seeing his own reflection staring back at him almost expectantly. “I... I lost some friends... and was lied to... for a long time. I... I guess I’m looking for answers. Like, why was I the one to survive, was it just luck or something else? And... I guess... I’m trying to find myself....” He gave a half hearted shrug, not really wanting to open the still fresh wound. He turned to look at the expressionless mask, once again silently wishing he could see the other’s face. “What about you? Why are you traveling?”

Vanitas was quiet for a long moment, almost worryingly so. Then he turned his head to state straight up at the canopy far above them. “I’m running away. I wanted to keep existing, to find peace, to make my own choices for once. So I ran away. And I’m still running. I’m a coward.” The venom in his voice was all pointed towards himself, but Cole couldn’t help the cold, clammy feeling that ran up his spine. 

Cole flopped his arm over to land, palm up, on Vanitas’s chest. He looked down at the hand, confusion practically radiating off of him. “I think you’re brave,” Cole said softly, “to decide you want more from your life and to act on it. I think that’s one of the bravest things you can do.”

Vanitas huffed, but didn’t rebuff it. After a long while, he slowly sat up, letting Cole’s hand fall onto his lap. Cole quickly withdrew his hand, sitting up too, a bit curious. “Something wrong, Vani?”

Vanitas shook his head no, then slowly reached up, sipping his fingers under his helmet. He pulled it off, setting fluffy black hair free. Cole’s eyes widened when he saw Vanitas’s face. He was fucking beautiful. His black hair stuck out in every direction like the world’s worst case of helmet hair, some clinging to his forehead. He looked like he spent a lot of time in the sun, but at the same time he looked as pale as someone would from wearing a helmet all the time. And his eyes, oh stars above his eyes. Cole felt like those bright crimson eyes were looking right through him. He hoped they couldn’t see just how fast his heart was beating. Cole blinked hard, forcibly snapping himself back to reality. Vanitas seemed to be expecting something. 

Cole gave a sheepish grin, cautiously lifting his hand and dropping it onto Vanitas’s head. He ruffled his hair, making his bed head worse. “You’re really pretty Vani.” He grinned a bit wider. “I really like your eyes. I didn’t know they could be such a pretty color.”

Vanitas scoffed. “Pretty? You think these are pretty?” He pointed at his face, raising an eyebrow. Ah yes. The exact amount of sassy expressions Cole had imagined. 

“Of course. I did say red was my favorite color after all.” He grinned, starting to try to wrangle Vanitas’s hair into something that didn’t look like a hedgehog had stuck a fork in an outlet. 

Vanitas stiffened slightly. “Red...? My eyes... are red...?” He almost seemed relieved, but more shocked. 

Cole nodded slowly, sitting back on his heels. “Yeah. They’re a really bright red.”

Vanitas rolled his helmet around in his hands, looking at his own reflection. “They are... they’re red again....” He sounded very relieved now. 

Cole briefly wondered what color they’d been before, but decided that it wasn’t worth asking. He simply smiled and laid his head on Vanitas’s shoulder. “Yep~! They’re a really nice red.” He looked up at Vanitas. “It matches your suit.” 

Vanitas looked down at him. Cole’s eyes went wide and he sat back, blushing a little. Vanitas looked down at his suit and hummed, slowly laying back down. “Yeah. I guess it does.” He stared up at the canopy of leaves above them. “Thanks...,” he murmured.

Cole looked back at him and grinned, laying down beside him. “Any time.” He closed his eyes and settled in to place, slowly starting to drift off. Before he slid into sleep, he thought he heard Vanitas murmur something about ‘friends.’ Cole felt a soft smile slide onto his face. 

 

Cole woke up from his nightmare with crescent, nail shaped impressions in his palms. He slowly unfurled his fingers, wincing as his muscles protested. He slowly opened his eyes, finding himself laying on his side, alone. He sat up, looking around. He couldn’t see Vanitas anywhere, nothing jumped out at him. Cole climbed to his feet, eyes scanning the edges of the lagoon. Then he saw something. Floating in the middle of the lagoon was a black leafy looking thing. It was swimming around lazily, not paying him any mind. Cole raised an eyebrow, noting the fluffiness. Did Vanitas decide to go for a swim after all? Cole tugged his shirt off, dropping it on his pants. He started wading into the knee high water of the lagoon, slowly creeping his way to the floating black thing. It noticed him and swam closer. When it got close enough, Cole saw that it was, in fact, Vanitas, underwater up to his nose. The wet part of his hair trailed in the water behind him like an inky stain. “Heya Vani. Out for a swim?”

Vanitas rose to his feet, shaking water out of his hair. Somehow he’d lost his suit, though Cole hadn’t seen it on the shore, leaving him in only tight black shorts that didn’t go even half way down his thighs. Cole forced himself to only look at his face, which was difficulty and not much better. There was something on his face too, a silver something that lined his jaw and circled his head. “I was trying to catch a fish....” Vanitas murmured, looking away from Cole. “Figured it’d be better food than another day of rations....” He looked a little embarrassed, like he hadn’t meant to be caught. 

Cole smiled softly. “That’s a nice idea. I don’t think I saw any fish when I was in here earlier though. Maybe we could find some up stream.” Vanitas nodded slightly, brushing his hair out of his face, looking a little annoyed. Cole raised an eyebrow. “You want a bobby pin or something?” 

“No....” Vanitas grumbled, starting to wade back to shore. Cole trailed after him like a duckling, shaking the water off his legs as he gathered his clothes. 

“Hey Vani?” Vanitas hummed, looking over his shoulder at him. “What’s uh....” He gestured to his own jawline, not quite finding the words. 

Vanitas raised his eyebrows and touched his own jaw. “Oh. My mask.” He tapped his finger against it. “I removed the visor.”

“Ooooh. Neat!” Cole grinned, balling up his clothes. “I’ll... be right back.” He scooted off behind a row of bushes, pulling his clothes on. 

When he came back, Vanitas was back in his suit. Cole wasn’t sure wether to be happy or disappointed about that. He’d left his helmet off though, only wearing the silver jaw part, and Cole was very happy about that. “Ready?” He asked, a w shaped smile growing on his face. Vanitas nodded and started walking up stream. Cole jogged to catch up, falling into step beside him. Vanitas glanced towards him for a moment, a small smile on his face. Cole felt his heart warm in his chest as he smiled back. 

 

Vanitas’s methods of fishing were... interesting to say the least. The ‘swim around until you find something’ method he’d tried in the lagoon was, thankfully, quickly abandoned. But the method he tried next was... arguably worse. More effective yes, but Cole simply had to designate it as ‘worse.’ Cole watched as Vanitas chucked another fireball into the river. He was getting fish, and they were already cooked, so at least there was no wait. But Cole couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor fish. Vanitas would get one or two with each fireball, so soon they had about a dozen. 

“Well, I guess that’s dinner for the next week,” Cole laughed, tying the fish up in clean cloth. He tucked half of them inside each of their bags, leaving a few out for this meal. Cole looked up at him and grinned as Vanitas dispelled his keyblade. He dispelled his helmet a moment later, the visor shrinking into the base. Cole suspected he’d put it back up to stop any fish bits from flying into his face. The sun was just starting to rise, so the only part of him that held any color in the grey morning light were his bright red eyes. Vanitas sat down, crossing his legs and picking up a fish. He tore into it like he hadn’t eaten in days. Which... Cole couldn’t actually remember seeing him eat anything that wouldn’t fit under his helmet. Cole made the decision not to mention that. Instead he started eating his own fish. 

After a while Vanitas sat back, looking up at the now sunlit canopy. The sunlight was making the world around them glow green. Cole swallowed his mouthful, maybe a bit too early, and cleared his throat. “Hey Vani. Question!” Vanitas looked towards him, raising an eyebrow and humming in acknowledgment. “How the heck do you take your suit off? I don’t see any zippers.”

Vanitas smirked, almost proud. He held one hand up, extending his fingers. Cole watched as the material of the suit slowly started dissolving, pulling away from his skin and folding in on itself. “I don’t need zippers,” Vanitas said smugly, reforming his suit. 

Cole clapped his hands together, more tapping his fingers together. “Oooh. And, is it armor? Or just clothes.”

Vanitas examined his newly re-gloved hand. “It functions somewhat like armor. It mainly protects me from disappearing into the darkness....” He trailed off. “I’m a being made of pure darkness.”

“But not evil,” Cole chirped, scooting closer. He extended his hand for Vanitas’s. Vanitas hesitated a moment, then dropped his hand into Cole’s. Cole started tracing patterns on Vanitas’s palm, watching as the material peeled back for him, giving him access to actual skin. Cole noted that this was the first time they’d actually touched. Vanitas’s hand was a little cold, but started warming under Cole’s hands. “Darkness isn’t evil you know,” he mused, rubbing his thumb over Vanitas’s palm. 

Vanitas scoffed. “What makes you think that?” His voice has a dry, cold humor that sounded more like a challenge than a joke. 

“Experience. People have darkness. It’s impossible not to. Light casts shadows. It’s just a matter of balancing the two. Pure light is blinding, pure darkness too.” He raised his head to look Vanitas in the eyes. “That’s my experience. For every light, there’s darkness. And vice versa.” He dipped his head again, feeling callouses on Vanitas’s fingers. “The two need each other, there can’t just be one or the other....”

“I can’t coexist with my light anymore....” Vanitas murmured. “We’ve been apart too long. We’ve... I’ve been fighting too... dirty. I don’t think there’s anything I could do... except maybe disappear....”

Cole was silent a long time, a near endless stream of thoughts running through his head. Vani and his light were fighting, not just as rivals, but as enemies...?! That couldn’t be healthy for either one of them. And... Vani needed some kind of light, to keep him from slipping into the abyss. Cole traced the lines of Vanitas’s hand, wishing he remembered how to read palms. “If... if your light is too bright..., if you can’t... coexist, then... maybe you need a dimmer light. One that’s not as strong and forceful, one that can balance you better.” Cole raised his head, looking into Vani’s bright red eyes. They were really pretty. “There’s... no reason to stay with someone you don’t get along with, if you both don’t want to fix it....” He shifted slightly, worried that he’d said the wrong thing. 

A soft reply came back to him a moment later. “Okay.” Vanitas lowered his head a little. “I’ll... try.... If that’s what you think is best. That’s... what friends do right...?”

Cole let out a soft laugh. “If that’s what you want to do.” He patted the top of Vanitas’s head, finding that his hair was just as soft and fluffy as he’d thought. “I can help you find a nice, soft light. Because that’s what friends do.” Vanitas let out a small puff of air as his lips formed a small smile. Cole blinked as something fuzzy and limp landed on his head. A moment later a fuzzy red face popped into his vision, tilting its head. Vanitas’s eyes snapped up to it, his free arm shooting out to grab it. The next thing Cole knew, the creature was gone and Vanitas had a slightly pained and confused expression on his face. “What was that?”

Vanitas grunted and shrugged half heartedly, pulling his hand away and pushing himself to his feet. He looked up at the sky. “I think a storm’s coming. We should leave.” 

Cole tilted his head, glancing up to only see the sun streaming through the leaves. He didn’t think there was actually a storm coming, but he took that as a conversation ended. He rocked back on his heels, standing up. He grabbed the backpacks off the ground, offering Vani’s to him. “Okay then, where to?”

Vanitas tilted his head. “I wonder....” He extended his arm, a small smirk forming on his face. “I wonder how you’ll like this world. It is pretty dark.” A grin flashed across his face. 

Cole puffed his chest up with pride. “Bring it on! I’m not scared of the dark. I’m not even squeamish of it.” He grinned at Vanitas and marched himself through the portal. Vanitas raised an eyebrow and followed behind, a smirk plastered on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is chapter three~! I hope y’all enjoy. I’ll be flipping between their two view points every two chapters now. =w=


	4. Halloween Town part 1

Something felt different this time. Even as Cole’s eyes slowly started adjusting to the darkness, he felt like something was different. Vanitas stepped out of the portal behind him, though Cole more sensed him than he saw him. Cole rubbed at his eyes, trying to blink them into adjusting faster. Vanitas snatched his hand away from his face. “Bad idea,” he murmured. 

Cole looked back at him, confused. His eyes finally started adjusting and his eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. They were in a foggy gothic styled town square, completely abandoned and eerily silent. Vanitas’s appearance had changed, now he wore a cropped black jacket with small bat-like wings sprouting from his back. He had a shirt that looked just like his suit, except a shirt. A mask, shaped like a broken skull, covered about half his face, only showing one brilliant red eye and one fang that stuck out over his lip. There was a kind of shadow that circled around his eyes, giving him a raccoon-ish black mask. Cole glanced down at the rest of him, seeing black pants that were cinched to his legs with bright red ribbon and black, red laced boots that looked twice as heavy as his normal ones. Cole looked back up at Vanitas’s face. “Why do you look like you raided Hot Topic?”

“I don’t know what that is,” Vanitas retorted, tilting his head. 

“Kinda punk goth aesthetic store,” Cole murmured, realizing that Vanitas was still holding onto his wrist. He glanced down and, under Vani’s white glove, he saw that his hand had grown some very sharp claws. Cole stepped back, looking down at himself. 

His shoes had been replaced with black, knee high boots, black pants haphazardly tucked into them. His shirt had been replaced with a loose fitting thin white thing, ripped along the collar, forearm length cuffs, and the shoulders. A tight fitting black suit, kinda like the one Vani usually had, except much thinner, spread out underneath it, reaching up under his chin and down to the wrists of his now clawed hands. 

Cole glanced around, trying to find a slightly mirrored surface to check his reflection. He found a darkened window of a store front and scrutinized his reflection. His hair fell well past his eyes, but strangely didn’t obscure his vision at all. He lifted his hair to look at the rest of his face. He had the same eye mask that Vani did, it surrounded his eyes and... his eyes.... Cole put his hair back down, silently vowing to not do that again. And, just before he turned away, Cole caught sight of a pair of wings in the reflection, though they looked more like the bones of wings. Upon closer inspection, he saw leathery skin that looked like it had shrink wrapped. Gross. 

“Sometimes, your appearance has to change for you to be allowed to traverse specific worlds,” Vanitas explained, his reflection appearing beside Cole’s. “It’s how the worlds protect themselves. If we’re recognized as outsiders, we’re changed until we fit the world’s truth.”

Cole let out an annoyed puff of breath. “Thanks for the warning Vani...!” He jokingly punched Vanitas’s shoulder, a grin splitting his face. 

Vanitas let out a humor charged breath, raising an eyebrow. “I was honestly expecting you to be a bit more scared. That would have been funny, for you to scream at your own reflection.” A smirk pulled at his lips, barely suppressed. 

Cole snickered. “No way! I love Halloween! And this place looks like a Halloween movie! The good kind... not the slasher gore fest kind....” He mumbled that last part. 

Vanitas scoffed, shaking his head. “Of course. Well aren’t you in luck? That’s where we are. This,” he gestured around them, “is Halloween Town.”

Cole blinked, tilting his head. “Halloween Town? For real?” A smile tugged at his lips. “Is it Halloween everyday or something?”

Vanitas hummed, tilting his head. “Something like that.”

Cole gasped, clapping his hands together. “Woooaaaah!” He bounced on the balls of his feet, looking around. “But... where is everyone?”

“Why, they’re all getting ready for the parade tonight!” A cheery, squeaky voice echoed all around them. Cole twisted until he saw a stout man in a tall hat. He had a very very large smile on his face. The man held a megaphone in his hand and waved his hands as he talked. Cole was anticipating an accident. “Aren’t you two going to participate in the parade?” He squawked. 

It took Cole a second to respond. He held up his hands, shaking his head. “No no...! We’re... just passing though....” Vanitas hummed and nodded slightly.

The man turned towards Vanitas, eyes narrowing. “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before...?”

Cole actually felt Vanitas tense beside him. He ducked his head a little. “No.... You haven’t seen me.”

Cole filed that away under the ‘bring up later, when emotionally ready for a heartfelt chit chat’ tab. “Must be the outfit. You know, red and black makes anybody look familiar,” he scoffed, waving his hand. “Happens to me all the time...!”

The man nodded, seeming to accept that. “Oh, yes! You must be right!” He waddled forward, extending his hand. “Hello! I’m the mayor of Halloween Town!”

Cole gingerly took his hand before he was yanked into a tight, jerking handshake that sent a wave of pain up his arm and down his shoulder. He pulled away, forcing a grin onto his face. “Nice to meet you Mr. Mayor.”

“Oh just Mayor please!” The mayor waved his hand, cupping his cheek like he was embarrassed. “No need for such formalities.”

“Right...! Then, nice to meet you Mayor. I’m Cole and that’s Vanitas.” Cole tried to subtly rub his wrist, trying to get feeling back into his hand. Vanitas seemed to perk up at the sound of his name. Cole could feel his gaze on him. 

The Mayor clapped his hands together, accidentally turning his megaphone on. “Will you be watching the parade then?! It’s sure to be a real treat!”

Before Cole could answer, three small heads popped out of the well that sat in the center of town. “TRICK OR TREAT!” They shouted before leaping out of the well and scurrying down an ally. 

“Oh...!” The mayor whined. “This blasted thing...!” He smacked his megaphone. When Cole looked back at him, he saw that the Mayor’s face had turned sheet white. 

Cole opened his mouth to say something like ‘you okay?’ or ‘what the fuck?!’ but Vanitas nudged him. He stepped forward, putting a hand on Cole’s shoulder. “We’ll let you get back to work now Mayor. See you later, maybe.” He turned Cole around and marched them down the street. 

“Oh...! Yes! Be sure to come to the parade!” The mayor called after them, waving. Vanitas gave a short wave back, a bit closer to a ‘shoo’ than a wave, turning them around a corner and out of sight. 

 

Vanitas had steered them into a graveyard, which was a little creepy, but fit the Halloween vibe of this place. He had sat down on a long stone bench that was covered in ivy and may or may not have been a vault holding a dead body. Cole decided it was probably for the best if they didn’t find out. Besides, Vanitas still looked upset, if ‘upset’ meant ‘looking half way between wanting to cry and kill something,’ which Cole was fairly certain fell into the ‘upset’ category. He leaned against a headstone, very deliberately trying to not break it. “Hey Vani...? You okay?” Vanitas gave a disgruntled grunt, which Cole took as a resounding ‘no.’ “Do you wanna talk about it or do you wanna be distracted?” He tilted his head slightly, nervously tapping his nails on the headstone. 

Vanitas raised his head, his red eye practically glowing. “Distracted,” he mumbled. He looked away, almost like he was ashamed. 

Cole hummed thoughtfully. “Then... Oh! You wanna know my favorite part about Halloween?” Cole leaned forward, but didn’t wait for an answer. “I like the aesthetic of it. The spookiness and the good natured scariness. It’s like my middle school goth phase fused with its edgy poetry, except less cringe and more fun.” Cole laughed a little bit, covering his mouth with his hand. 

Vanitas stared at him like he’d grown a second head. Though, given his experience with this place, that wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. “What planet did you come from...?” Vanitas asked, almost baffled. A small creature appeared by his feet, rubbing its head like it had a headache. “What language even is that?”

Cole snickered, hiding his grin behind his hand. “Sorry sorry.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Um.... actually I don’t know what my world was called. It didn’t really have any distinctive features that I can remember....” He trailed off, reaching for memories that weren’t quite there. “Well, no matter! Do you like Halloween? It seems to fit your personal style pretty well. And the style here kinda suits you, kinda punk-goth-rocker style.” Cole stopped himself from talking even more by biting his tongue. He hadn’t meant to say that style comment out loud. 

Vanitas cocked his head to one side, glancing down at his outfit. He looked a little surprised. “It does...? Hmm...!” A small smile spread across his lips. He looked better. 

Cole couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. “It does. We should totally get you a sweet wardrobe...! If you want of course....” He waved his hand, then tapped his finger against his chin, already imagining different outfits for his friend to wear. Something loose... ripped jeans and a black tank? Yes. Definitely. A couple silver chain necklaces would look good. Maybe a choker and some earrings if he was feeling adventurous. 

“Cole!” Vanitas snapped his fingers in front of his face, making him jump. 

Cole yelped and toppled backwards, rolling over the headstone and landing on his face. “Huh?!” He snapped his head up, throughly embarrassed. “Sorry what? I spaced out.”

Vanitas rolled his eyes and put a hand on his hip. “I said I probably wouldn’t mind... doing that.” He shrugged one shoulder. A small flying creature popped into existence behind him. 

Cole smiled and stood up, dusting himself off. “Cool.” He chewed his lip slightly as he thought. “Everything in town is probably closed today because of the parade... we could check for some stores tomorrow. We’d probably have to find a place to sleep.... It’d be nice to sleep in a real bed for the night.” 

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. “There’s probably an inn or something in town.” 

Cole nodded in agreement. “Probably. Let’s go check and see if it’s open.” He waved his hand slightly, noticing that the tips of his fingers felt a bit heavier due to the claws. They looked cool though. He grinned a little as Vanitas started towards town. He seemed... different, in a good way this time. Cole smiled happily as he trotted after him. 

 

Thankfully, the local hotel was open. There was only one room left, apparently people had been coming into town for the parade. But there were two beds and Cole and Vanitas had long since gotten used to sleeping close to each other so that was a non issue. Unfortunately, the room they had been given was very dark, even with every light on, and had bats living in the ceiling. Cole was pretty sure he saw a snake slithering under the dresser, but refused to look for it again. 

“This is fine....” Cole murmured to himself, sitting on one of the beds and pulling his feet up, away from the floor. “Could have been worse, could have had fleas or bedbugs....” He trailed off, then quickly lifted the sheets to check for bugs. “Yep! Nothing too bad here.” He gave a soft laugh and leaned back against the wall. 

Vanitas sat down on the bed across from him, tilting his head. “Do you always talk to yourself when you get nervous?”

Cole smiled sheepishly. “Kinda... It’s kinda a habit....” He hummed and tapped his fingers against his knee. “Hm, oh...! What’s your favorite world that you’ve been to?”

Vanitas’s eyebrow rose up into his hair. “That was out of no where....” 

Cole giggled softly. “Well, the train of thought made sense in my head.” He hummed in thought then nodded sharply. “I think my favorite is this one. It’s really unique and has a cool vibe to it.” 

Vanitas tilted his head, apparently thinking. “I think... The Dwarf Woodlands.”

“Oh yeah? Yeah. That one’s got a pretty cool spooky vibe too.”

“Like the trees could eat you,” Vanitas smiled, something halfway between a grin and a smirk. 

“Exactly!” Cole laughed. “Very spooky!” Vanitas chuckled, the smile widening little by little. Cole felt rather proud of himself. A small creature, an unversed he remembered, appeared beside Vanitas, sniffing at the bed sheets. “Oh, there’s another one. What’s that emotion?”

Vanitas glanced down at the thing, the smile still on his face. “It’s... enjoyment...?”

Cole raised an eyebrow. “Enjoyment...? Happiness...?” He suggested, tilting his head. 

Vanitas’s eyebrows raised a little bit as he stared down at the unversed. A soft hum emanated from his throat. “Happiness...? No, I don’t feel that....”

Cole raised one eyebrow, mouth twisting into a grimace. “Uh what? What the hell gave you that idea?”

Vanitas’s eyes slid over to look at him. “I’m a being of pure darkness. I can’t feel... happy.” 

Cole grimaced, scooting off the bed. He took three quick steps over the floor and climbed onto Vanitas’s bed, sitting beside him. “Who says that? It’s nonsense.” Vanitas lowered his head slightly. Cole could see him biting his lip. “Wh-what do you think darkness is, Vanitas?” 

He didn’t answer right away, turning his head away slightly. “Darkness is... evil....”

“It’s not,” Cole said firmly. “You are not evil Vanitas.”

“I am literally made of darkness!” Vanitas snapped, his head snapping up. “I am the darkness that was ripped out of my other’s heart! When I was born I didn’t have a face. I’m a monster, something that never should have existed. I lost my face, my name, and my memories. I’m a being of pure darkness that wasn’t supposed to ever exist....” He lowered his head slightly and looked away. An unversed popped into existence, but Vanitas’s fist closed around its throat, turning it into dust before Cole could even properly look at it. Vanitas hissed in pain, hand clutching at his chest, over his heart. “I’ve only known pain and hate. I hated myself and my light... now... I’m running away because I’m scared... to not exist now....”

Cole watched as Vanitas curled in on himself, his mind clearly entering a downward spiral of pain and self hatred. He knew this was a delicate situation. Saying the wrong thing just might make it worse, irreversible even. He knew how it felt, going down in that spiral. And he got the feeling that this was something Vanitas had been dealing with, probably by himself, for a long time. Cole hesitated for a moment, then gently draped his arm around Vanitas’s shoulders, pulling him into a sideways hug. He felt Vanitas stiffen under his arm, and again when Cole laid his head on his shoulder. 

“There is nothing wrong with being afraid. There is nothing wrong with being in pain. And there is nothing wrong with darkness.” Cole pressed his face against Vanitas’s shoulder. He hoped he wasn’t crying. “Darkness is beautiful, just as much as light. It’s the night that decorates itself with stars. It’s the ink that lets writers weave stories full of life. It’s the darkest richest dirt that explodes with life and beauty every spring. It’s the silence that lets you fall asleep. And it’s the quiet friend that’s been there too.” 

Cole felt his fingers tighten on Vanitas’s shoulder. “Sure, darkness by itself is a bad thing. But so is pure light. Both blind you. That’s why the world has both. Having more darkness doesn’t make you evil. And having more light doesn’t mean you do the right thing. It’s a balancing act that everyone has to figure out. And it’s not bad if you need some help getting your balance just right.” He slowly raised his head, locking eyes with Vanitas. “So don’t you dare... hate yourself for not... being perfect. That just means you’re alive.”

Vanitas stared at Cole for a long time, eyes darting all over his face, almost trying to find some trace of dishonesty. Cole remembered how that felt, from the other side. Then, very slowly, Vanitas’s face slid into something truly vulnerable. He slowly leaned forward, grabbing the fabric of Cole’s sleeves, and put his head on Cole’s shoulder. Cole wrapped his arms around him, as far as he could reach, and gently rocked back and forth as Vanitas’s shoulders shook silently. Several small, crying unversed appeared around him, each one crawling its way into either of their laps. 

 

After a very long time, Vanitas slowly sat backwards. Releasing Cole’s sleeves and pulling out of his arms. “You probably think I’m weak now.... But... will you still....”

Cole smiled softly, cupping Vanitas’s face in his hands. He raised his face to look him in the eye. “I’ll stay. You’re my friend and I care about you. And you’re not weak, even if you cry. It just means you have a heart.” 

Vanitas’s lips twisted into a smile, even as fresh tears leaked from his eyes, catching on his eyelashes. “Right.... I do... have a heart.” He took a deep, shaky breath, closing his eyes. When he opened his eyes again he looked much better. “If you tell anyone about this I’ll have to hurt you,” he mumbled, wiping his eyes. 

Cole scoffed. “Yeah right! Who am I gonna tell? You? Hey Vani! Guess what Vani did?!” Vanitas started snickering, trying to stifle it with his hand. Cole’s eyes widened as he leaned forward. “Oh? What’s this?” He pulled at Vanitas’s hand, pushing it away from his mouth. “Is that a smile I see~?” He leaned closer, a wide grin decorating his own face. “It is! It is! I see a wonderful smile!” Vanitas couldn’t hold back any more, starting to actually laugh. The sadness spawned unversed melted away, transforming into small, bouncing creatures. Cole followed Vanitas as he leaned away, both of them smiling and laughing. It wasn’t until later, when a distant scream pierced through the air, that they even realized they’d fallen asleep on top of each other. 

 

After several moments of squirming and thrashing, including a rather painful elbow to the solar plexus, “Sorry Vani,” Cole managed to disentangle himself from Vanitas and the bed’s blankets. He landed on the floor with a thump, scrambling to his feet a moment later. Vanitas pushed himself up, rubbing his chest where Cole had elbowed him. The distant scream came again, echoing around them. Cole ran to the window, throwing the blinds open. Down below the window, people were lined up, prancing and leaping around. 

“Ah! Vani! It’s the parade!” Cole called back into the room. Vanitas appeared beside him suddenly, leaning against the window sill to peer out into the street below. 

“Looks chaotic,” he mumbled, not sounding too thrilled. 

“We can watch it from here,” Cole chirped, leaning out of the window to get a better view. Lofty singing emanated up from the street, slowly rising in volume as the bulk of the parade came closer and closer. Vanitas hummed softly, barely loud enough to hear, and settled down next to Cole. 

People of all sorts scuttled under the window, passing by with shrieks and screams. There were creatures of all shapes and sizes. Cole was pretty sure that he saw someone with snakes as hair. And there were several classic monsters, wolf-men and vampires. One of the vampires flew up to the window, hissing with his fangs barred. Vanitas batted him away, sending him flying. Cole snickered as Vanitas grumbled, flexing his wrist. 

Near the end of the parade, Cole saw a very tall person in a pinstripe suit prancing about above the crowd. They cartwheeled over the crowd on long spindly limbs, making him look a bit like a four legged spider. The parade started chanting “pumpkin king” in growing volume. Vanitas leaned over Cole, a hand on his back for balance. 

“Looks like Slenderman’s fashionable cousin....” Cole murmured. The Pumpkin King’s pumpkin head exploded, revealing a skeletal head underneath. “Okay, not Slenderman then.”

“Who is Slenderman?” Vanitas asked, looking back at Cole. 

“Really tall guy with no face that lives in the woods and kills people.”

“Ah....” Vanitas hummed. “Good to know....” Cole snickered a little. One of the bouncy unversed jumped up on Vanitas’s back and catapulted itself out the window. Three or four others followed suit. “Damn it...!” Vanitas muttered, stepping back into the room. Cole watched him as he caught and reabsorbed the few that were left. 

“Does something happen if you don’t do that?” He asked, stepping away from the window as the last part of the parade passed by, into the town square. 

“If they get destroyed then the emotions come back with pain. If I absorb them, I just feel the emotions. That way it’s easier to control them and make sure more don’t spawn.” Vanitas flexed his wrist again. 

Cole hummed thoughtfully and pushed himself away from the window, pulling the blinds shut behind him as cheering rose from the street below. “That sounds... annoying.” Vanitas looked at him with a deadpan expression, eyebrow twitching. Cole grinned sheepishly. “Joke...! That was a joke....”

Vanitas shook his head, letting out a humor filled puff of air. “Looks like I’m not the only one here with a twisted sense of humor.”

Cole barked a laugh. “Nope! I am very aware of my own skewed sense of humor.” He snickered. “One time, I was friends with a bunch of girls, and we made our mutual guy friend wear a skirt. It was hilarious. He got us back though.” 

Vanitas raised his eyebrow. “A skirt...?” He sounded a little concerned. 

Cole waved his hand, shaking his head. “It is a very long story of poorly timed pranks and maliciously timed paybacks. The skirt was like... way down the line. And he totally deserved it. He said so himself.” Vanitas still looked skeptical, but seemed more relaxed than he had been earlier. “So...! The parade’s over and it sounds like the crowd’s dispersed. You wanna go see if the shops are open?”

Vanitas nodded, brushing his hair out of his face. “Yeah. Let’s go check it out.”

Cole grinned. “You’ll soon find out, but I have great taste in fashion.” Vanitas smirked slightly, raising his eyebrow. “The hoodie does not count,” Cole added quickly. Vanitas snorted into his fist, struggling to hide his snickering. Cole put his hands on his hips and tried to look mad, but Vani looked nice when he smiled, so he couldn’t really stay mad for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha! Another chapter published! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. >:3
> 
> I’m back at school now, so I probably won’t be as speedy writing the upcoming chapters, though I’m a good ways into six right now. This chapter, and the next couple, I’m especially fond of. -w- <3


	5. Halloween Town part 2

The shops were open, yes, which was pleasantly surprising. Vanitas had expected the locals to spend the rest of the day off, celebrating their parade or something, but things had always been strange in Halloween Town. So he and Cole started looking at and trying on clothes. Halloween town’s fashion was certainly... unique. Cole had, thankfully, quickly turned down several options that he’d pulled out, so that made Vanitas feel a little more comfortable about letting him pick things out. Then, when he pushed an outfit into Vanitas’s hands and steered him towards the dressing room, Vanitas felt a little silly about this whole thing. 

As he changed in the dressing room, struggling to pull the shirt over his wings, somehow he’d forgotten about the extra set of limbs he’d grown, Vanitas thought about the absurdity of the situation. Here he was, a being born of darkness and emptiness, without a whole heart of his own, playing dress up with someone who had to be a warrior of light, who was supposed to be his enemy. Beings of light and darkness weren’t supposed to coexist peacefully, how could they? And yet... this one had gone far out of his way to make Vanitas feel comfortable and to console him during... that moment. Vanitas honestly wasn’t sure what to call it, his moment of weakness? His emotional breakdown? Either way, he wasn’t nearly as embarrassed about it as he felt he probably should have been. 

Vanitas straightened the hem of the shirt and stepped out of the dressing room, seeing that Cole was sitting on the bench outside, waiting for him. There were a couple similar looking pieces of clothing sitting next to him. Cole tilted his head, a small, pleasant smile on his face almost distracting from the world’s disguise. Vanitas spread his hands. “Well? How does it look?”

Cole tilted his head, letting out a soft hum. He seemed to be evaluating the outfit on several levels, which left Vanitas a little flustered. He’d rarely been out of his battle suit so just wearing normal clothes was a little adventurous. Cole tipped his head back. “Vani? Did you hear me?”

Vanitas blinked, sharply snapping his attention back to the present. “What?” 

Cole smiled softly, looking slightly amused, and giggled behind his hand. “I said the wings make it look kinda funky, but besides that it looks like a good start. Do you like it?”

Vanitas glanced down at his outfit, he hadn’t really been paying attention when he put it on. He still had the boots that Halloween Town had given him, which would probably change back to his battle suit boots when they left, but the black ripped jeans and the loose fitting tank top looked... nice. It didn’t look the least bit battle ready, but it looked... normal, casual, like a normal person would wear on any normal day. It was a bit different from his style when he was part of Ventus, but... he wasn’t Ventus any more. Vanitas nodded slightly. “I think I do.... It’s different... but I think it... suits me...?”

Cole laughed softly, standing up and fixing Vanitas’s hair in some way he couldn’t see. “It does. I found a couple more styles you can try if you want. It’s always good to have more than one set of clothes you know.” That sounded like he spoke from experience. Vanitas gave a small shrug and picked up the pile of clothes, taking them back into the dressing room with him. 

This time he payed attention to what he was wearing, plain black jeans and a black shirt with a stylized skull on the front. Cole had also wrapped a leather jacket in with the bundle, so Vanitas pulled that on too. As he looked at his reflection in the dressing room’s mirror, he had to admit, he did look pretty good. He wouldn’t have picked these out himself, but they did suit him. Well, rather, they suited the part of him that was purely Vanitas, not the part that used to be Ventus. He shook his head, forcing the thought out of his head. A moment later he stepped out, seeing that Cole had apparently found the jewelry and accessory section while he was changing. 

Cole made a small ‘oooh’ sound, tapping his fingers against a black and white wristband in his hand. “What do you think Vani?” He asked, a grin splitting his face. 

Vanitas tilted his head, glancing down at the wristband in his hands. “It suits me,” he said, more confidently this time. 

Cole nodded, a pleased smile on his face. “Yeah. Oh! I found a couple accessory things if you wanna try them on.” Vanitas nodded and held out his hand. Cole grinned and slipped the wristband over his wrist, finally letting Vanitas see the stylized tiny white skulls on it. “I thought it’d match the shirt....” Cole murmured sheepishly, scratching his cheek. 

Vanitas examined the wristband. “It does....” He twisted his wrist, comparing the skulls on the wristband to one on the shirt. 

Cole hummed softly, examining several other accessories in his hands. “Oh?” He gave a dry laugh. “You are allowed to say no you know.” 

Vanitas’s eyebrows went up and he slowly raised his head. “If I didn’t like it I wouldn’t put it on.” Cole flinched a little. Vanitas did as well, though more controlled. He hadn’t meant to use that tone. “I mean... if I don’t like something I’ll let you know. I uh... it’s been a long time since I’ve... been shopping....” he muttered, forcing his emotions down. 

Cole gave him a lopsided grin that looked a little forced. “Alight. Yeah I keep forgetting you’re pretty honest with how you feel. I guess I’m just not used to that....” He mumbled, fidgeting with the thing in his hand. “Anyways! Wanna try a necklace?” He held up a couple necklaces, some longer silver chains, some cloth chokers. 

Vanitas silently debated about letting that drop or not, but he seemed fine now... so Vanitas nodded. 

 

After the better part of an hour, Cole had put together three outfits for him and insisted he buy all of them. When Vanitas has tried to protest, Cole had waved his argument aside, saying that since he was the one to insist that Vanitas her new clothes, he should be the one to pay for them. Then he’d run off to the Moogle shop keeper to pay. In the mean time, Vanitas had gotten dressed in his Halloween Town given clothing again. 

Before he stepped out to leave, he glanced at his reflection, spending a time marveling that his eyes had actually returned to their red color. The rest of him was still human, human with someone else’s face, but human all the same. He had to wonder what prompted the change. Was it the distance from Xehanort? Was it that he was no longer a seeker of darkness, or no longer needed as one? Or was it...? His eyes had changed back after he met Cole. Was it something that he’d done?

A soft knock came on the dressing room door, surprising Vanitas, making his head snap towards it. “Hey Vani?” Cole’s voice asked. “You need help with a zipper or something?” 

Vanitas opened the door, making Cole jump back. “Do you see a zipper on me?” He huffed, stepping out and shutting the door behind him. 

Cole snickered, following Vanitas towards the door. “What? You mean the one on your jacket doesn’t count?”

“Of course not.” Vanitas caught himself smiling, quickly forcing it down. “It’s not zipped is it?”

“Weeeeellllllll~” Cole chirped as he followed him into the town square and back towards the hotel. “You didn’t say anything about it having to be zipped. You just asked if I saw a zipper.” Vanitas shot a mild glare over his shoulder. Cole giggled, completely unintimidated. 

Vanitas rolled his eyes, just in time to see something light blue and glowing flying at his face. He ducked. Cole let out a yelp, tripping backwards and falling down. Vanitas looked up to see a floating, ghostly dog barking above their heads. Everything below its head was replaced with a spectral handkerchief, which might have been funnier if it wasn’t making so much noise. Cole groaned, rubbing his hip. “Hello magic floating dog. Ow.... I think I landed on my keys....” He pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his pants and pulling a ring of keys out of his pocket. “Was wondering where those went....”

Vanitas tried to shoo the dog, waving at it with his hand. When that didn’t work, he grabbed Cole by the sleeve and started tugging him along. “Come on. Let’s go before-“

“Oh there you are Zero!” A voice chimed in from behind him. Vanitas had to bite his lip to keep from spitting out a string of curse words. The shadow of the pumpkin king fell over them and Vanitas just barely resisted the urge to run for it. 

 

He felt Cole tense under his hand, and heard a small noise as he looked up at the skeleton. Vanitas expected him to be shaking, but instead Cole visibly sparkled. “Oooooh!” He mewled again, head tilted almost all the way back so he could stare up at the skeleton. 

“Oh. Why hello there. Are you two new in town?” The skeleton asked. The ghost dog flew around it’s master excitedly. Vanitas kept his head bowed. 

Cole happily filled in his part of the conversation. “Yeah we are actually. We’re passing through and got to see the parade earlier. It was so cool! You’re the Pumpkin King right?”

The skeleton nodded and took a sweeping bow. “I am indeed. Jack Skellington, at your service. And you are...?” He raised his head, the angle of his bow gave him a clear look of Vanitas’s face. “Sora?” 

Vanitas felt his whole body tense. No no no no no! He wasn’t Sora. He was Ventus! But he wasn’t Ventus. He wasn’t Sora. He wasn’t a copy, a replacement. He was a copy, a replacement. He was an incomplete heart, not even half. He was a shred of a heart, something that never should have existed. 

Cole laughed softly, pulling Vanitas into a sidelong hug. “Nope. This is Vanitas. I’m Cole.” He put his hand on Vanitas’s head, his fingers pressing into his scalp. Vanitas felt like he’d been shocked, snapped back to reality. The touch kept his head in place, keeping him anchored to this one place, this one moment. Even as his mind tried to pull him back under, the steady pressure of Cole’s fingertips pressing against his head kept him steady. “That must be who the Mayor thought you looked like earlier too Vani. I’m telling you the red and black’ll make anybody look similar.” Cole waved his hand, then extended it towards Jack. “Nice to meet you Mr. Skellington.”

Jack took his hand. “Oh, just Jack please.” He looked a little flattered. Then he tilted his head. “You know, it might be the haircut actually. Sora doesn’t wear much red. He’s mostly black and silver.”

Cole hummed, nodding along. “Oooh...! I didn’t consider the haircut.” He patted Vanitas’s head. “So, on a different note, I like the atmosphere here Jack. Don’t know how in charge of that you are, but you being the king probably means you had some sway, so... good job.” He gave a thumbs up and a grin. 

Jack looked flattered again, cupping his own cheeks in his hands. “That’s so kind of you to say. Oh but you should have seen it when we tried Christmas. It was so beautiful with all the lights.”

Cole’s eyebrows shot up. “Christmas? Lights? Well who says you can’t have lights anyways?! Put them up man! It’s your holiday.”

Jack’s eyes, eye sockets?, went wide. “Really? You think that’d be okay?”

Cole laughed, waving his hand. “Yeah dude. We put up little pumpkin shaped lights all the time. It adds atmosphere.” He grinned and clicked his tongue, shooting a finger gun. “Besides, you don’t need anybody’s permission on how to celebrate a holiday. It’s your fun, go have it!”

Jack looked absolutely delighted. He clapped his hands together. “That’s a wonderfully inspirational idea! I’ll get to it right away!” He looked about ready to start bouncing. “Come on then Zero. Let’s go tell Sally.” He twisted and started off down the street. The ghost dog barked and flew after him. 

Cole let out a sigh that was simultaneously a satisfied sigh and a sigh of relief. He wiggled his fingers in Vanitas’s hair. “You okay Vani? You looked like you were having a panic attack spawned existential crisis,” he said in a soft voice. 

Vanitas nodded slightly, suddenly feeling all the tension falling out of his limbs. “Yeah.” How dare his voice crack?! “Just... tired.”

Cole hummed softly. “Then how about we go back to our room? Then, if you’re up for it, we can talk it out. Okay?” Vanitas didn’t have the will to argue, so he simply nodded and let Cole walk him back to the hotel. 

 

Vanitas picked at the hem of his glove as he lay down in the hotel bed. Cole was sitting on the side of the bed, messing with something in his lap that Vanitas couldn’t see. He’d been doing that, whatever that was, for the past fifteen minutes, which was both relieving and stressful for Vanitas. Cole had said they’d talk, practically insisted that they did, but he wasn’t saying anything, or asking anything. So Vanitas was left stewing and picking at the hem of his glove. 

Cole glanced over at him, letting his hands still. He opened his mouth to say something, but bit his lip instead. He lowered his head, turning away like he was nervous. 

Vanitas huffed and sat up a little, laying his arm across his knee. “Well?” He asked, snapping a bit more than he meant to. Cole visibly flinched, the wings on his back stretched out defensively. “You said we were going to talk about it,” Vanitas huffed, keeping the edge out of his voice this time. 

Cole gave a small sigh and tucked the thing in his hands away. He turned towards Vanitas. “I’m not really sure I want to.” Vanitas raised an eyebrow. He didn’t want to? “After all, I can tell it’s... uncomfortable.... But....”

“Just ask,” Vanitas snapped. “Make it easier on both of us.” He leaned back against the wall beside the bed, biting the inside of his lip, ready as he could be. 

Cole paused another moment, then scooted back to lean against the wall next to him. “Who is Sora and why do you hate him?”

Damn it! Why did that have to be the first question? Vanitas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Cole, not so subtly, laid his hand face up on his leg, an offer he could take if and when he wanted. “He is....” Vanitas sighed again. This was going to take some explaining. “When I was split from my light.... We used to be one person, then I was ripped from his heart and made my own person. He... was catatonic after..., but a new born heart saved him and... that was Sora. I didn’t have a face when I was... created, just...” 

Vanitas raised his hand, letting it hover over his eye. “Just these red eyes.... But when Sora... he filled in the place I was supposed to fit.... Then I got his face. I lost my name, my face, and almost all of my heart, all at once.” Vanitas pressed his hand over his eye, feeling his arm shake. He bit his lip so hard he tasted blood. “I... I wanted to go back, to get the rest of my heart back...! But... he didn’t want me. My own light.... I... I was so angry that I....” He trailed off, memories rushing over him like a freight train. 

He felt himself spiraling, his emotions rising like a tidal wave, but for some reason, no unversed spawned to take the emotion away. Instead, Cole’s fingers closed around his wrist, gently pulling his hand away from his face. Cole moved his hand up until he was holding Vanitas’s hand, squeezing it tight enough to ground him. Vanitas felt himself squeezing back, probably tighter than he should, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go. “You don’t have to say anything else...,” Cole said in a soft voice. Vanitas felt him pressing comfortingly against his shoulder. 

“I... I did a lot of... awful things... because I was... angry and... scared. Now... I don’t think he’d ever forgive me... I don’t deserve it.” Vanitas screwed his eyes shut. “I don’t deserve...”

“You don’t deserve to be alone, or in pain,” Cole said softly, in barely a whisper, laying his head against Vanitas’s. “Remember what I said before? Maybe you just need a different kind of light. You don’t have to be this all consuming darkness that you’ve been before. You can be... a gentle shadow for a gentle light.”

Vanitas scoffed softly. “You really think I can... just choose to be something else?”

“I think you can choose who you want to be, then become that.” Cole sat up, a small smile on his face. “So long as you don’t choose to be a rainbow unicorn. I don’t think you can be a rainbow unicorn.”

And just like that, the tension was broken. Vanitas snorted into his fist, trying to stifle a laugh. “Why that...?” He breathed. “That has nothing to do with anything...!” 

Cole nudged him with his elbow. “Of course It does. I said-“

“I know what you said!” Vanitas laughed. He laid down on his side, away from Cole, who leaned over him, tugging at his arm playfully. “Can’t take anything seriously can you...?” He mumbled through the blankets, hiding his face in them. 

“Of course I can...!” Cole snickered, laying on top of Vanitas. He gently tugged at a lock of his hair. Vanitas turned his head enough to see Cole’s head laying next to his, while his hips were laying over top of Vanitas’s and his legs were stretched out behind him. 

“Doesn’t that hurt...?” Vanitas asked, a little amused. He didn’t think Cole was that flexible. 

“Not really, but I feel like cooked spaghetti.” Cole snickered at himself and rolled off of Vanitas, laying so they were more of less parallel, with about a foot of space between them. Vanitas flexed his fingers, finding that they were still tightly gripping Cole’s hand. “And...,” Cole said, his voice suddenly soft and solemn. “Just like I said before, I’ll help you find a light to balance you. Because you’re my friend, and I care about you.”

Vanitas felt his eye go wide, then he rolled his head over to press his face back into the blankets. “You’re soft....” he grumbled into the blankets. 

“What was that?” Cole chirped, scooting his head closer. 

“Mmmrrrrrr....” Vanitas moaned into the blankets. He used his free hand to pull a pillow over his head. 

“No no...! I actually didn’t hear you!” Cole laughed, using his free hand to tug at the pillow. “Vani!”

“I’m not saying it again!” Vanitas held the pillow against his head even tighter. 

 

Vanitas actually did remember falling asleep this time, and the blankets were actually used this time. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand, sitting up slowly. As he opened his eyes, he saw that Cole had gotten out of bed. He was curled up in the chair next to the window. Though, on second thought, he was more hunched over, curled in on himself. Vanitas, unfortunately, recognized that position, he was in pain. 

“Cole.” He’d said it softly, but his voice cut through the silence like a knife. Cole flinched, head snapping up like he was anticipating an attack. “Are you okay,” Vanitas asked, just as softly as Cole had spoken to him earlier. 

Cole let out a soft laugh. “Yeah.... Yeah. Just had a nightmare. You scared me for a minute there. I didn’t know you were awake.” He sounded so small and sad, so different from earlier. 

On a whim, Vanitas scooted back to lean against the wall, patting the spot next to him. “You... want to talk about it?” He wasn’t sure what he’d do if Cole said yes, he didn’t know how to deal with other people’s emotions. Not like Master Xehanort was the best social skills tutor in the world. That was almost funny. 

Cole smiled softly, standing up and walking over. He sat on the bed and scooted so he was sitting next to Vanitas, their knees just barely touching. “It’s really dark in here....” Cole mumbled, more to himself than to Vanitas. Then he took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. “It was... a nightmare, kinda. More of a memory that my brain decided it needed to make worse. It’s not the first time I’ve had it, and it won’t be the last.” He sighed and shook his head, though he still looked sad. 

Vanitas rolled a thought over in his mind, then reached out and took Cole’s hand, holding it in his own. Cole looked down at their hands and smiled softly. “What was it about...?” Vanitas asked, chewing his lip nervously. Damn, he was not good at this. 

Cole hummed thoughtfully, then laid his head on Vanitas’s shoulder. “Remember how I told you why I had Stars Align? My friend’s keyblade?”

Vanitas felt a wave of emotion called ‘oh shit’ roll over him. He tried very hard to not let it show and to not spawn any unversed. “She... died... right?”

Cole nodded, looking down at his left hand. He looked half tempted to summon it. “Yeah. I was dreaming about that.”

Vanitas hesitated in replying. How was he supposed to respond to that? Something told him Ventus would know, but he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. Then, acting more on impulse than thought, he maneuvered the hand holding Cole’s until his arm was draped over his shoulder, giving Cole the same half hug he’d given him before. “I’m sorry,” he breathed, laying his head on top of Cole’s. 

Cole seemed frozen for a second, then he relaxed against Vanitas’s shoulder, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Vanitas looked down and saw a small smile on his lips. He mentally sighed, relieved he hadn’t made it worse. He closed his eyes, feeling extremely tired. 

 

Sometime during the next ‘day,’ it was impossible to tell days when the moon never set and the sky never grew any lighter than a light grey, the two of them checked out of the hotel and slunk to the edge of town to leave. Cole stretched his arms over his head, cracking his back. “Ow. Oh that felt good.” He hummed a soft tune as he walked along the stone wall. Vanitas walked on the road, like a normal person. 

“Then why’d you say ‘ow’ if it felt good?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Reflexive ow,” Cole chirped, continuing his tune. Vanitas rolled his eyes slightly, but smiled anyways. Cole hopped down at the end of the wall. “Tada!”

Vanitas clapped the tips of his fingers together. “Very impressive.”

“Much awesome,” Cole chirped, grinning back at him. He grabbed a streetlight, that wasn’t providing much light, and spun around it before rejoining Vanitas. “So, where should we go today?” 

“Somewhere where my body is normal again. The wings are a pain,” Vanitas grumbled, glaring back at them. 

Cole giggled, flexing his own wings. “Aw. I kinda like mine. If only I could fly with them.” He flapped them uselessly, barely even stirring the air. “But, I can do without the claws. I keep cutting myself every time I have an itch.” He sighed and looked down at the small claws on his hands. Vanitas hummed, slightly sympathetic. “Also I would like my eyes back....” 

That caught his attention. Vanitas’s head snapped towards Cole. “Your eyes? What happened to your eyes?” A wave of panic washed over him, spawning several small, screaming unversed that quickly disappeared into the forest. 

Cole flinched at the sound, a hand floating up to hover over his face. “It... they changed when we got here. They should change back when we leave right?”

Vanitas tried to steady himself against the stream of thoughts that crowded his mind. Had Cole become possessed by Master Xehanort? Was he watching him right now? He couldn’t show Master any weakness. He’d cried in front of Cole, he’d broken down. He’d shown vulnerability. Master would rip that out of him. What color had Cole’s eyes been before? He hadn’t thought to notice. Was this whole thing just some wicked ruse, to punish Vanitas for leaving?

Cole’s hand landed on Vanitas’s shoulder. “Hey.... It’s okay. Just take a deep breath.” Vanitas held onto the tension for a moment longer, then slowly let it drain away. Cole couldn’t be possessed by Master Xehanort. Master would never be so calming. Cole gently touched Vanitas’s cheek, careful of his claws. “Are you okay?” 

Vanitas nodded slightly, taking another deep breath. “Yeah. Just... nothing.”

“A little panic attack? Yeah I hate those,” Cole laughed softly, dropping his hand to take Vanitas by the wrist. He felt the warmth of Cole’s hand through his glove. “I think we should be able to open a portal up ahead, there’s a kind of clearing or something.” Cole tugged him forward. 

Vanitas took a few steps compliantly. “Actually, I can open a corridor right here.”

“Oh...!” Cole chirped. “Okay.” He tilted his head slightly, curiously mouthing what looked like the word ‘corridor.’ Vanitas brushed it off and summoned the corridor of darkness, not thinking of anywhere in particular, besides somewhere safe. Something was setting his nerves on edge. 

The second before he stepped through the corridor a very familiar pain erupted in his chest. He doubled over, falling through the portal. Someone had destroyed several unversed at once. And, as the emotions linked to them washed over him, he realized that these unversed were some of those he’d left in Halloween Town. Someone was back there, just narrowly missing them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eheehee~ >:3 We’re getting into the meat of the story now! Also, I said it in the tags and if you’ve read this far I expect you’re up for some shippy stuff. The next couple chapters are gonna be so much fun. And I’ve started on a multi chapter world arc, kinda like this one, but probably longer. Hope y’all enjoy~! ;3


	6. Christmas Town

Vanitas stumbled blindly out of the corridor and immediately ran into something soft and warm. Whatever it was wasn’t very stable, since a moment later Vanitas found himself laying on top of it, face down in the snow. Vanitas grunted, in quite a bit of pain, as he pushed himself up, shaking snow out of his hair. He immediately noticed that his clothes had changed again, this time he was dressed in all black, coat, pants, boots, gloves and hat, each trimmed with white fluff. The thing underneath him was clothed exactly the same and a moment later, following an undignified groaning, Vanitas realized he’d fallen on top of Cole. He quickly rolled off of him, then sat up as he watched Cole extract his face from the snow. His hair was back to its normal length, he noted, as Cole shook the snow off his head. 

“Well... that’s one way to make an entrance,” he laughed, straightening his hat, identical to Vanitas’s own. “You okay Vani? What happened? Did you trip?”

Vanitas huffed, weighing his choice of answers in his mind. Well, he’d told him about it before. “Someone destroyed several unversed at once, I told you it hurts when that happens.”

Cole nodded solemnly. “You alright now?” Vanitas nodded. Cole swept his legs around to stretch them out in front of him. “You sure? I can always kiss it and make it better~!” He grinned, tilting his head slightly. 

“Do it and die,” Vanitas snapped, no real bite in his voice as a small smile spread across his lips. 

Cole giggled and flopped backwards onto his back. “Oh...! It started snowing....” Vanitas looked up to see a few snow flakes slowly drifting into view, their numbers steadily growing the further up he looked. “Should we move before it gets heavy?” Cole asked, his voice sounded soft and distant even though he hadn’t moved. Vanitas nodded slightly, rolling to his feet and standing up. Cole popped up a moment later, shaking snow out of his hair. The pompom on his hat flipped around and smacked him in the eye. Cole yelped and held his eye while Vanitas tried very hard not to laugh at him. Cole shot a glare at him and stuck his tongue out like a child, then turned and trotted down the path ahead of them, leaving Vanitas to follow behind. 

After about a minute of silence, Cole looked over his shoulder, back at Vanitas. Vanitas raised his eyebrows and gave a little wave, putting his other hand on his hip. Cole slowed down until they were walking side by side again. Vanitas almost rolled his eyes. Not very good at holding grudges was he? Then again, maybe that was a good thing. 

They came to a fork in the road, the sign was completely covered in ice, obscuring the directions written on it. Vanitas opened his mouth to say something, but Cole beat him to it. “Are those lights?” He pointed ahead of them, a little to the right. 

Vanitas looked up and saw multicolored lights creeping over top of a tall snow bank. He tilted his head slightly. “I think so. Oh no... this is Christmas Town isn’t it?”

Cole tilted his head, picking the right path that lead towards the source of the lights. “What’s so bad about Christmas Town?”

“Well first, it’s cold,” Vanitas griped, following along anyways. “Second, we just did the world traveling equivalent of a U-turn. This world is directly connected to Halloween Town, we didn’t need the corridor to come here.” 

Cole gave a soft ‘aww’ and patted Vanitas’s shoulder. “Well, the hotels here will probably be more uh... accommodating than the one in Halloween Town. I don’t know about you, but possibly poisonous snakes aren’t the most relaxing thing for me.”

Vanitas actually felt his heart skip a beat. “Snakes...?” Cole started giggling, but when Vanitas looked at his face, ready to snap at him, he saw that Cole’s face was twisted into a rather painful looking grin. “Uh....”

“I don’t mind snakes, really. I like snakes. I just don’t wanna get bit by a snake....” Cole jabbered, almost rambling. Vanitas dropped his hand on top of Cole’s head, silencing him instantly. Apparently he was receptive to touch. 

“It’s... fine. It... you didn’t get bit right?” Cole shook his head slightly. “Then it’s fine.... You can stop worrying.” Cole looked up at Vanitas from under his hand. A genuine smile slid onto his face. He nodded slightly, slowly reaching up to gently touch Vanitas’s wrist. 

“Thanks Vani,” he said softly. Vanitas felt the warmth from his hand even through two layers of gloves. Or maybe he just imagined it. He looked away and mumbled something under his breath, he wasn’t even sure what he said. But Cole smiled anyways, letting out a small giggle. A short moment later he let out a soft gasp. “Vani, look...! It’s a little village!”

Vanitas hummed softly, letting his hand fall to hang by his side. Cole didn’t try to stop it, but he grabbed Vanitas’s sleeve, tugging him along as he moved faster. Vanitas let out a soft sigh. Despite how much he was definitely not a fan of Christmas Town, it would definitely beat sleeping on the ground for another night. Something was still bugging him though. Something had destroyed the unversed in Halloween town, and it would be very simple for someone to find them here, even by accident. Vanitas started worrying his lip, not paying attention to his surroundings until a snowball hit him square in the face. 

Blinking snow out of his eyes, Vanitas glared in the direction the snowball had come from. Two small creatures were standing there, hands covering their mouths. A moment later, they started slowly trudging towards them, heads hung low. 

“Are those elves?” Cole murmured, leaning against Vanitas’s shoulder. Vanitas glanced back at him, but decided he didn’t dislike it enough to shrug him off. 

He wiped the rest of the snow off his face, shooting the approaching people another glare. “Probably,” he muttered. 

The two stopped a few feet away. They were dressed in red and green, their clothes a reverse of each other, and honestly didn’t look like they could be anything but elves. One of them, the one in more red, stepped forward. “We-we’re sorry...,” the elf squeaked. “Are you okay?”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. The elves squeaked and started cowering, but didn’t run. Cole jabbed him in the side with his finger. “Are you okay Vani?”

Vanitas huffed and sighed a disgruntled ‘yeah.’ Cole jabbed his side again, narrowing his eyes at him. “I’m just fine,” Vanitas growled through gritted teeth, glaring back at Cole. 

The other elf scooted forward, clutching at the frilly collar of its shirt. “Are you here to see Santa?” 

“Can we?!” Cole gasped, leaning over Vanitas’s shoulder, pushing him down in the processes. Vanitas caught himself before he fell to his knees, glaring up at Cole. At the edge of his perception he noticed that Cole was a lot lighter than he should have been, but he brushed the thought away when he shook Cole off his shoulder. 

“Of course!” The elf squeaked, clapping its hands together. “He’s not too busy right now!”

“He should be in his workshop!” The other elf chirped, pointing down the path to the town. “It’s the biggest building at the far end of the carousel. 

Cole nodded, a grin spread across his face. “Awesome. Thanks!” He looked up at Vanitas. “Let’s go see Santa!”

 

Several minutes later, Vanitas found himself leaning against the wall of Santa’s workshop, or its visitors’ room at least. He wasn’t sure exactly how Cole had talked him into this, but here they were, waiting for Santa. Cole had sat himself on the piano bench, rhythmically tapping his fingers against his leg like he was playing a song only he could hear. But Vanitas wasn’t paying attention to that, really. He was trying to meld with the wall before the ‘jolly old elf’ came back. Vanitas wasn’t sure how the old elf would react to him, a being of darkness... and frankly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. 

Cole’s head snapped up a second before the door opened. Vanitas shrank deeper against the wall as Santa waddled into the room. He didn’t pay them much mind as he trudged across the room. He plopped back in an overstuffed armchair with a loud sigh. “Ahhh....” Then, finally, Santa looked up at them. “Hello there. Have you come to check to see if you’re on the nice list?”

Cole blinked, tilting his head slightly. “Oh...! Well, we more came to say hi, but if it’s not too much trouble... Mr. Santa....”

“No trouble at all, now that I’m off my feet,” the old man waved his hand, beckoning Cole over. Cole looked nervous as he glanced back at Vanitas. He pushed himself to his feet, slinking across the room. Santa had pulled out a gigantic rolled up paper, seemingly out of thin air, and was slowly unrolling it. “Now then, what’s your name?”

Cole straightened like he’d been shocked. “Uh... Cole Maywether, sir....”

Santa thumbed through the list, clicking his tongue every few names. “Ah... I see.” He looked up at Cole, tilting his head. “I’m afraid you’re a bit too old for my lists.”

Cole blinked, then seemed to relax, or maybe deflate. “O-oh.... Yeah I guess that’s right.... Guess I don’t count as a kid anymore...!” He rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously. 

Vanitas tilted his head a little, he’d thought they were the same age, or at least that he was older than Cole, but....

“What about you?” Santa asked abruptly. Vanitas felt himself flinch and press harder against the wall. He really didn’t want to answer. 

“Come on Vani. It doesn’t hurt, I promise,” Cole laughed softly. Vanitas let his gaze drift over to him. He looked... a little heartbroken. 

Vanitas sighed in resignation, figuring the worst that would happen is finding out that he was on the naughty list. And he wasn’t a child, so really, the only downside was Cole knowing he’d been “a bad boy.” Vanitas snickered to himself, suddenly feeling childish for actually being worried about that. Briefly, the thought that his emotions seemed to be unstable crossed his mind, quickly replaced by the mild curiosity as to why those mixed up, unstable emotions didn’t spawn any unversed. But he pushed the thoughts aside for now, he couldn’t keep the old man waiting. “Vanitas,” he smiled. 

Santa looked down at his list, thumbing down to the bottom of the list. “Hmm.... Looks like you’re too old for my list too.” The old elf shook his head slightly. “How strange.... So sorry boys.” 

Vanitas felt an eyebrow raise in surprise. Really? He was too old? Cole laughed suddenly, snapping Vanitas’s train of thought off its tracks. “No worries Mr. Clause! We’re big boys. We can handle growing up.” He trotted over to Vanitas, slinging an arm over his shoulder. “See?”

Vanitas rolled his eyes, glaring sideways at Cole. “Yes, because adults refer to themselves as ‘big boys’,” Vanitas smirked, elbowing Cole in the side. Cole huffed and messed up Vanitas’s hair in retaliation. 

“Of course,” Santa chuckled. He stood up, letting out a groan as he got back on his feet. “Well boys, it might not be Christmas, but you’re both more than welcome to stay for the celebration tonight.”

Cole immediately perked up, eyes wide. “Celebration?” Vanitas rolled his eyes, making sure his head rolled too so Cole knew exactly how childish he thought he was acting. Without even looking back at him, Cole jabbed Vanitas in the meat of his cheek, holding his finger there. Vanitas tried to bite the finger through his own cheek, though, not very hard. 

The old elf hardly seemed to notice them, straightening his coat and hat instead. “Yes, its a bit of a monthly event, a night off as it were. I’m sure the elves would love it if you attended.”

Cole let out a long ‘oooooh’ sound, prompting Vanitas to elbow him again. “Ow. Oh! Yes we’d love to!” Vanitas elbowed him again, harder this time. Cole looped his arm around his neck, pulling his head sideways until it was pressed to his chest. “I mean, we could kinda use a night off ourselves.” Vanitas bit back a disgruntled groan. This was going to be painful. 

Santa looked rather pleased with that answer. “Oh splendid. I did invite Sora and his friends, but they said they had an urgent call all of a sudden.”

Vanitas felt himself tense. Sora? He’d just been here? Then they must have just missed each other. Sora must have used the built in passage, then destroyed the unversed in Halloween Town. If either of them had been just a minute earlier.... Vanitas didn’t like that thought. He didn’t want to meet Sora... or Ventus. 

Cole gave a genuine sounding ‘aww,’ but Vanitas felt his fingertips press against his cheek. Apparently Cole was just as relieved they hadn’t run into Sora as he was. “Too bad, but at least we’ll be here, right?” 

 

Even after the celebration had started, Vanitas couldn’t force himself to calm down. Something in his stomach was just writhing, anticipating an attack of some kind, or else the pain that accompanied the destruction of an unversed. He sat on a counter of what was apparently a party room, furnished with six counters, four of which were packed with food and drinks, three dance floors, and a grand piano. Vanitas, as soon as he’d gotten enough breathing room to move, had stalked over to the empty counter as far from the gathering as possible. A few elves had tried to approach him, but quickly changed course when he narrowed his eyes into a biting glare. 

Cole seemed to be enjoying himself at least. He was holding a glass of punch in one hand and a half eaten cookie in the other, leaning against the piano. A few elves stood on top of the piano, chatting away with him. One elf kept trying to snag the cookie from his hand, while Cole appeared to be none the wiser. The hungry elf had yet to steal a bite though, so maybe he was aware of the potential thief. 

Santa was drifting in and out of a nap, the elves both enabling and hindering the old man’s power napping. They crawled over him and spread blankets over him. One even started humming a lullaby that sounded suspiciously like a Christmas carol. Soon the rest of the elves in the room started singing along. Vanitas even saw Cole start singing. And, while the elves more screeched than sang, Cole’s voice moved between notes like he actually knew what he was doing. 

“Silver bells, silver bells~ It’s Christmas time in the city.... Ring-a-ling~ hear them sing.... Soon it will be Christmas Day~.” He closed his eyes as he sang, leaning against the piano. The elves started swatting each other until they all quieted down. Cole froze mid-note, jerking his voice to a stop. He stared around at the elves who’d abandoned him. “Um....”

“Sing!” An elf in the crowd chirped. The group started chattering in agreement. Vanitas felt his eyebrows raise slowly. He didn’t know Cole could sing. 

Cole held his hands up defensively, even from across the room, Vanitas could see his face turning red. “No, I... I don’t...”

“Oh, it would be a nice treat,” Santa said, apparently scaring Cole, going from how hard he flinched. The old man sat up in his chair, straightening his beard. “Would you?”

Cole seemed very conflicted. His hands were fluttering around his face as he stammered out an excuse. “I... I haven’t sung... in a... long time....” 

Vanitas slid off the counter, making his way over to the bulk of the party. Cole seemed to cower as he got closer. Vanitas tilted his head, locking eyes with Cole. “I’d like to hear you sing.” And, to be fair, he was curious. The last time he’d heard someone sing he’d been part of Ventus. And Ventus... didn’t really sing as much as he blabbered along with the words, sometimes hitting the notes. Of course, he’d been a child at the time, but the point remained. 

Cole hesitated a moment longer, then gave a defeated sigh. “Alright. But I can’t promise I’m not rusty....” He scratched the back of his head, eyes fixed on a spot on the floor. “Uh... is there music or something... or...?”

Santa hefted himself to his feet, waddling over to the piano. “This old girl may be a bit old fashioned, but she plays wonderfully.” He shooed the elves off the piano and propped the lid up. “Just pick some sheet music and set it on her stand. She’ll play along.”

Cole blinked. “Oh... okay. She’s a magic piano...,” he muttered to himself as he shuffled around the piano. Vanitas used the opportunity to drift off to the side again, away from the elves that had started to crowd him. He hopped up on an empty spot on the counter as the piano started playing. It wasn’t a tune, but Cole matched each note the piano played, a warm up then. 

Cole glanced back at Vanitas, his expression a mixture of nervousness, irritation, and... excitement. The piano stilled for a moment and Cole placed a hand on its side. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The piano started playing, somehow sounding like snow falling. Then, like he’d been holding his breath, Cole started singing. 

“Children... sleeping, Snow is softly falling~ Dreams are calling~ Like bells in the distance....” Cole’s voice was soft, but there was a kind of gentle solidity to it. Kinda like him. Vanitas tilted his head, allowing the music to wash over him. How long had it been since he’d actually listened to music? Long before he and Ventus split anyways. 

Cole turned towards him, his eyes now open, and, for the first time, Vanitas noticed the color of Cole’s eyes. They were a brilliant, crystalline blue, shining with light. But for some reason, this light didn’t... seem to... repel Vanitas. Instead, it felt inviting. It was the kind of light that dwelled within shadows, the kind of light light that could coexist with darkness, gave meaning to it. Vanitas felt something in his chest twist and knot around itself, not present, but not exactly painful either. 

“We were dreamers~ Not so long ago~ But one by one, We... all had to grow up....” He seemed a little sad when he said that. Apparently being too old for jolly old Santa’s list was a bigger deal then he’d let on. But, Cole closed his eyes again, seeming to relax into the song again. “When it seems the magic slipped away... We find it all again on Christmas Day~”

 

When the song was done, the elves applauded, Santa included. Vanitas couldn’t move for a long time, but when Cole looked back at him, he was able to give him a small smile and nod. And the reaction from that... Cole’s face shone like a sun, a gentle sun that could never burn. Vanitas felt like something in his chest was shifting, not like how it did when the unversed spawned, but somehow similar. 

Vanitas watched as Santa waded through the sea of elves, shooting them away before he could step on them. He pulled a small silver box out of his pocket, tied shut with a pinkish ribbon. “I know it’s not Christmas, and you are too old for my list, but here.” He pushed the box into Cole’s hands. “Think of it as a thank you gift, for such a lovely song.” 

Cole blinked, staring down at the box. “Oh...! Th-thank you sir....” He cradled it close to his chest as Santa started wading through the elves, headed for Vanitas. 

The old man glared at him when Vanitas moved to get up and slip away, so he stayed put. The old elf pulled a small black box out of his pocket, tied shut with a bright red ribbon. “And this... is incentive for next year,” the old man whispered, pushing the box into Vanitas’s hands. “I expect you to be good next year okay?” He gave a small wink. “You used to make the nice list every year, Ven.” 

Vanitas actually felt his pupils contract as his heart stoped beating, but before he could say anything, the old man shuffled away. When he moved, Vanitas could see Cole again, his hand clamped over his mouth as he stared down into the box he’d been given. Vanitas slid off the counter and made his way to him, the elves scurrying out of his way. “Cole...?” Vanitas was surprised by how soft his voice sounded, even to himself. 

Cole slowly raised his head, but didn’t, couldn’t tear his eyes from the box. He gingerly reached into it and pulled out a picture frame. Vanitas craned his neck to see the picture it contained. There were six people in the photo, each grinning from ear to ear as they piled on top of a couch. Three people sat normally on the couch as one person spread out over their laps. Two more people leaned over the back of the couch, one of them pulling someone else’s face into a smile, the other one was Cole. He looked a little younger, though not so much in physical age, but rather mental age. He looked... happy, so did the rest of them. 

“I thought...,” Cole murmured, his voice cracking as tears started streaming from his eyes. “How’d you find this...? I thought... it was destroyed with....” His head bowed, though Vanitas could still see him biting his lip. 

Santa touched the side of his nose. “Just a bit of magic, son.”

“Thank you....” Cole smiled, despite the still flowing tears. “This... this was our last Holiday together....” 

The old man nodded, like he knew. “Think I’ll retire now... good night boys.” He turned and stepped out of the room, the elves started trickling out behind him like a flock of ducklings. 

Vanitas watched the elves stream out of the room, then, when they were all gone, he gingerly draped his arm over Cole’s shoulders, pulling him into a sideways hug. “You okay...?”

Cole bit his lip and nodded vigorously, not very convincing. “Yeah-“ His voice broke again. “Yeah... It’s... just a fresh wound.... I’m alright.” He laid his head against Vanitas’s shoulder. “Thanks Vani.”

Vanitas, more on reflex than anything else, put his hand on Cole’s head, threading his fingers through his hair. “For what...?” Damn it. Why didn’t he know what to do? Ventus would know what to do. Too bad he wasn’t Ventus any more. 

“For just... being here. It’s... comforting....”

Vanitas felt a small smirk crawl onto his lips. “Comforting? Did you hit your head or something?”

Cole shot a pointed glare up at him. “I’ll hit /your/ head....” His lips twisted into a grin as he pressed his face against Vanitas’s shoulder. 

“I’d like to see you try...!” Vanitas huffed. As if Cole could over power him. Then again... Vanitas hadn’t actually seen him fight....

Cole scoffed, lightly punching his side. “What’d you get?”

“Huh?” Vanitas blinked. 

“Your present.” Cole pointed to the box in his free hand. 

“Oh.” He’d forgotten it was there. “...Is this a distraction so you can hit my head?”

Cole snickered. “Nah. That’s too easy. I’ll get you when you least expect it....”

“I’m so worried...,” Vanitas muttered, tugging the box’s ribbon off. He lifted the lid and found a wad of black materiel. Upending the box over his palm, Vanitas felt his eyebrows raise as a pair of black gloves unfurled over his hand. Upon closer examination, he realized that there were hard pieces down into the gloves, giving them a kind of armor. 

Cole hummed softly, peering over Vanitas’s shoulder. “Cool.”

Vanitas hummed in return, nodding slightly. “Yeah. Cool.” He tugged his world assigned gloves off, pulling the gift pair on. “Warm too.” He smiled, flexing his fingers, resting the give of the material. 

Cole let out a small ‘oooh’ and touched the back of his hand. “Noice.”

Vanitas couldn’t help the soft snicker that rose from his throat. “Yeah. ‘Noice’.” Cole giggled and gently punched his side. 

 

By the time they were ready to leave the next morning, Cole seemed back to normal. Vanitas thought he was too, but couldn’t be sure. He hadn’t seen where Cole had put his photo, but he made a note to talk to him about it later. If they were gonna work through Vanitas’s issues, they were gonna work through Cole’s too. But, now wasn’t the time. 

Vanitas practically cringed as Cole shoved a wrapped stack of cookies into his backpack. That was going to end in disaster, but... it might be kinda funny, so Vanitas chose not to say anything. Cole huffed as he slung his bag over his shoulders, pulling the straps tight. “You about ready Vani? I love the Holiday, but the snow and cold is killing me.”

Vanitas hummed as he slipped his own bag over his shoulders, watching it fade into his clothes. Magic was great. “Yeah. And... ‘Holiday’?” He tilted his head. 

Cole’s eyes widened for a moment. “Oh! Yeah. My friends and I kinda made up our own holiday and, because we were very hilarious teenagers, we called it Holiday. So we celebrated that instead of... everything else. ...Don’t tell Santa.”

Vanitas snorted and rolled his eyes. “Sure sure.” He didn’t fight the smirk that rose to his lips. An idea formed in his mind, one that wouldn’t stop gnawing at him even if he pushed it away. So much for this not being the right time. “...What were they like...?”

Cole paused. “Who...? My friends?” Vanitas nodded, even though Cole wasn’t looking at him. He kept his eyes fixed on the window of the room they’d been given. Snow coated the glass, making it impossible to see out of, but it let enough light into the room to see, even without the lights on. “They were... my family. More of a family than my blood relatives ever were....” Cole raised his head a little, looking at Vanitas out of the corner of his eye. 

“When....” Cole hesitated, almost giving the impression that he was going to change the subject. “When we were all together, there was so much warmth and light... and....” He sighed. “When I met them... I was in a really dark place. I’m still not sure how I was even able to summon my keyblade.... Back then, my whole world was darkness, a brutal all consuming kind, but... they helped me out of it, to reach for the light, despite how far away it seemed.” A small, sad smile formed on his face as he looked down at his right hand. Slowly, he raised it towards the window, curling it into half a heart shape. “I lost them all at once... to Kingdom Hearts....” 

Vanitas hesitated a moment, then took the few steps forward to cross the room. Slowly, he raised his left hand, curling it to mirror Cole’s. “Loosing people... can’t say I know how that feels....” He connected his hand with Cole’s. Their hands, backlit by the snow covered window, formed a glowing heart in the likeness of Kingdom Hearts. “But... I know it hurts you and... how can I make it hurt less...?”

Cole’s breath caught in his throat, making a soft whimper. Looking down at him, Vanitas saw tears starting to fall from his eyes. “I...” His voice broke as he curled in on himself, hand dropping and breaking the faux Kingdom Hearts. Vanitas’s hand fell onto Cole’s back, fingertips pressing against his shoulder blade as the muscles underneath twitched and jerked. A few moments later, Cole raised his head, a wide smile on his face, despite the tears staining his cheeks. “That... actually helps a lot.” He gave a small laugh.

Vanitas felt something twisting in his chest, not quite painful, but he’d gotten used to pain a long time ago. He dropped his hand on Cole’s head, messing up his hair. “Honestly....” He shook his head, then pushed a smile onto his face. “You’re so easy to please, even I can make you smile.”

Cole laughed and playfully shoved Vanitas’s shoulder, wiping his eyes. “Am not...! You’re just fun to be around.”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, pushing his shoulder back against his hand. “No, see, that’s what I mean. I’m horrible company and you’re enjoying it!”

“Oh you are not...!” Cole scoffed. “Your company is just fine. And definitely not the worst I’ve kept.”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, disbelieving. “Somehow I find that difficult to believe....”

Cole snickered and waved it off, patting Vanitas on the head. “And that’s a story for another time I’m afraid. Don’t want to dredge up old grudges on Christmas...!” Vanitas could have sworn he saw sparkles dancing around his head. 

“But it’s not Christmas...,” he started, only for Cole to cut him off with a finger to his lips. 

“Shhhhh.... It’s always Christmas in Christmas Town,” he chirped, spinning in to a pirouette. “So, let’s be off before the elves decide we simply must stay for dinner...!”

Vanitas narrowed his eyes. “Why are you talking like that?”

Cole dropped the pirouette form, his smile dropping into a pout. “I thought it was funny....”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, barely holding down the smirk that threatened to rise to his lips. “Oh really? What was that about twisted senses of humor again...?”

Cole scoffed and lightly punched his arm. Vanitas punched Cole’s arm just as playfully in retaliation. “I am plenty funny, thank you very much.” Cole crossed his arms, sticking his nose up in the air. Vanitas raised his eyebrows silently. Cole glared at him, mouth dropping open. 

“Better close that,” Vanitas teased, closing Cole’s mouth with the tips of his fingers pushing his jaw back into place. “Or else the elves will stuff it full of sweets.” Cole rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Vanitas. But there was still a smile on his face. 

 

When they were far enough away from the town to be sure no elves were following them, getting any of them stranded in another world, even by accident, was sure to get them permanently on Santa’s bad side, Vanitas extended his hand, summoning a corridor. Cole hummed, tilting his head. “You know, I still have no idea how you can do that without using a keyblade....” He shrugged and shook his head. 

Vanitas huffed and smirked back at him as he stepped forward. “It’s because I’m awesome.”

Cole let out a barking laugh. “Ha! Yeah right!” He grinned and sprinted forward. “Last one there has to find dinner!” 

Vanitas’s eyes widened. “Like Hell!” He charged forward, colliding with Cole and toppling the two of them through the corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used: Believe from Polar Express. 
> 
> And now! Y’all have all the chapters I’ve written. Hurray! Let me know what you guys think. ^^ I already have the next couple chapters planned out, I just gotta write them. 
> 
> Last time I mentioned a multi chapter arc... that starts after the next one. For mainly perspective reasons, but also cuz plot. It’s a Disney movie that I haven’t seen much of, and if someone guesses it before I post it, you get... brownie points I guess? ;b


	7. Olympus Colosseum

They hit the pavement hard, ending up with Cole scraping his chin and bruising his elbow. “How is it that you always fall on top of me...?” He grumbled, not really bitter about it. Vanitas rolled to his feet, brushing his pants off before reaching down to pull Cole to his feet. 

“Because I’m a better fighter,” Vanitas huffed, crossing his arms. 

Cole narrowed his eyes at him. “That has nothing to do with it....” 

Vanitas clicked his tongue, looking incredibly smug as he waved his finger in front of Cole’s face. “Falling is a distinct part of fighting you know. Knowing how to fall correctly is an important skill to avoid damage in battle.” Oh he was so smug. The smile on his face was only rivaled by the smuggest of cats. 

Cole huffed, crossing his arms. “Well, such a shame I’ve never needed to learn. I’m just too fast to hit....” He flashed a cocky grin towards Vanitas, turning on his heal. Cole ducked as Vanitas swatted at his head. “Hahaha! You see?!” He cackled. 

Vanitas rolled his eyes, but there was a distinct smile on his face. “I see you acting like a child.” 

Cole snickered, raising his eyebrows. “Child or not, I’m still too fast. And you’re the one that keeps falling on me.” He stuck his tongue out at Vanitas. 

Vanitas opened his mouth to respond, no doubt to fire back with a scathing retort, but stopped short, staring up at something behind Cole. Cole could actually see his pupils contracting in fear. Very very slowly, Cole turned around, seeing a very very tall, very very muscular man standing right behind him, back lit by the bright sky. 

“Hey there,” the man said in a voice that sounded friendly, but rumbled with a deeply rooted power. Cole leapt away from him, stumbling backwards into Vanitas, who caught him and held him upright by his shoulders. 

Cole was only partly sure that Vanitas was hiding behind him, though he couldn’t say he knew why. “H-hi...!” Okay, that sounded pathetic. Cole cleared his throat and tried again, hopefully without the squeaking this time. “Hey....”

The large man gave a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” He held out his hand. “I’m Hercules, Herc for short.” He sounded friendly, and when Cole shielded his eyes against the bright sky, he saw that Herc was wearing a warm smile as well. But something was nagging at the back of his mind, something was wrong. Cole pushed the thought down and smiled back at the very large man. 

“I’m Cole, and I don’t think I can make that any shorter.” He gave a small, anxious laugh and shook Herc’s hand. He had a really strong grip. 

“And you...?” Herc said, looking back at Vanitas. His eyes widened a little. “Oh? Sora...?” Oh no. 

Cole felt Vanitas’s fingers tighten on his shoulders, that might just bruise. “Ah, no...?” He chirped, acting like this was the first time he’d heard that name. “This is Vanitas. It’s the haircut isn’t it?” He gave a small awkward laugh, hoping Herc would just drop the subject. 

“Oh... yeah must be.” Herc rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Now that I’m actually looking at you, you don’t really look like him at all. It must be the hair.” 

Vanitas loosened his grip a little, staring up at Herc like he was trying to set him on fire with his mind. “Yeah... just the hair...,” he grumbled. Cole reached back and patted Vanitas’s head. 

“So,” Herc coughed, abruptly changing the subject. Just as planned. “Are you guys gonna sign up for the games?”

Cole tilted his head. “Games?” Did this world have hopscotch championships or something?

“Yeah! The games! It’s a tournament where the strongest can prove themselves.” Herc suddenly looked genuinely excited. “You two should sign up.”

Cole glanced back at Vanitas. “Sure....” He flashed Vanitas a short grin, still unable to completely squash the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. 

Vanitas seemed to notice that something was wrong. “We’ll think about it.” He grabbed Cole by his arm and dragged him away. 

They ducked behind a corner, under a set of stone steps. “Okay. What’s wrong?” Vanitas snapped. He crossed his arms, looking determined. 

Cole blinked, holding his hands up. He had not prepared himself for this. “It’s-“

“And don’t say ‘it’s nothing.’ Something’s wrong. And if I can tell that easily, it’s very wrong.” Vanitas’s red eyes seemed to burn right through him. For a moment Cole thought Vanitas could see all the way through him, to his heart. Cole’s breath caught in his throat as his mouth flapped soundlessly for a long moment. Then, he closed his eyes and steadied himself. It was just Vani. He could totally talk to Vani. Vani wasn’t scary. 

“It’s... probably nothing. Just a... weird sense of dejavu, and yet... also not.” Cole shook his head, closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Maybe too many sweets in Christmas town.” He laughed and raised his face, opening his eyes to find Vani’s suddenly very close. Cole felt himself freeze, a icy hand curling his guts around its fingers while a burning hand wove it’s fingers around his chest. 

Then, almost an eternity later, Vanitas sighed and moved away. “Alright. But let me know if you sense anything else. If I remember right, this world commonly hosts people from other worlds. I don’t want to run into....” He trailed off, suddenly looking both worried and self conscious. 

“Yeah, I gotcha.” Cole patted Vanitas’s head. “Do you wanna sign up for the games? For fun?” 

Vanitas paused for a long moment, then nodded. “Sure.” A grin spread across his face. “Besides, I still haven’t gotten to see you fight, Speedy.”

Cole’s eyes went wide. “Uhh... the speed thing was a joke....” Vanitas snickered as he turned and started walking towards the largest building. “Vani...! I’m serious...! Coal is a kind of rock!”

 

Fortunately, the two of them were on opposite sides of the bracket. And for some reason, the games were filled with heartless and some strange squirmy creatures. Cole wasn’t sure what the silver creatures were, but when he asked Vanitas he got a grumbled answer. “They’re nobodies. Just like heartless but smarter and slippery. Be careful.”

So that was great. As Cole sat high in the still empty bleachers, he balanced his Moonlight keyblade on his fingertips as the final preparations were set up. Heartless were corralled and nobodies were directed. Apparently they were different. A shadow fell over Cole and a moment later Herc sat down beside him. Cole rolled his keyblade down his palm so he could grab it. He stuck the point in the ground as he turned to look at Herc. He looked concerned, or maybe thoughtful fit better. 

“Hey, uh...,” Herc mumbled, running a hand through his hair. “Have we met before? I’m sorry, I don’t remember, but you’re really familiar....”

Cole tilted his head, chewing his lip. “I don’t know.... I met someone named Hercules a long time ago, but....” He shrugged. “Must be the hair...,” he mumbled, flicking a lock of his own hair. “And the name... and the general aesthetic of the world....” He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. 

Herc seemed to be debating how to answer, his hand wavering in the air, moving forward and back. “I....”

Cole snorted out a laugh, curling in on himself. He looked back up at Herc, a wide grin plastered over his face as he wiped at his eyes. “I’m just kidding man. I’m pretty sure I just watched you in the games before is all. Maybe you signed my autograph book?” Cole rolled back to lean against the seat behind him. 

Herc looked relieved. “Oh, yeah you must be right.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “You looked kinda worried so I....”

Cole scoffed, shrugging his shoulders. “Nah! I’m making strategies over here.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing to do with you.”

Herc nodded. “Well, that’s good then.” He rocked forward, standing up. “Well, it’s time to get ready. I’ll see you in the games then.” 

Cole nodded, giving Herc a two fingered salute. But when the hero left, Cole started chewing his lip. He had seen Herc before, somewhere in a memory he couldn’t quite grasp. With a small sigh, he resigned himself. “Must have been in the dream....” He ruffled his hair angrily. “Stupid dream...,” he grumbled. He rose to his feet and started picking his way down the stands to the contestant waiting area. 

 

Vanitas had been arguing with the official, a stout man with goat legs, when Cole had walked in. Apparently contestants weren’t allowed to watch the other matches, which Vanitas found to be a stupid rule. Cole had pried them apart and coaxed Vanitas’s temper back down, saying that they could meet in the finals instead. And even spar some afterwords, if that’d make it better. Vanitas had reluctantly agreed, though he kept sending death glares at the goat legged man. 

Now, as Cole strode into the arena, he felt a nervous flutter in his stomach. Unfortunately his first opponent, in the very first match, was Hercules. Cole felt beads of cold sweat form on the back of his neck. He’d thought he’d be fighting heartless and those silver creatures, not real people. A hundred memories of getting his ass kicked by fellow keyblade wielders flooded his mind, sending shudders down his arm, causing the tip of Moonlight to waver slightly, angling down towards the ground. 

“You okay?” Herc called, standing on his side of the arena. 

Cole nodded stiffly, sinking down into a battle stance. He considered drawing Stars Align too, just for this fight. She was protection based and going against Herc.... But before he could make up his mind, a bell rang and the match began. 

Herc charged at him, before Cole could even think about a spell to cast, his body threw itself out of the way. Herc pivoted and charged at him again. So he was a power/speed type fighter. Good to know. “Wish I’d known that sooner,” Cole growled as he rolled to his feet. He tapped Moonlight’s pointed tip against the ground, casting magic to spread ice and snow across the arena. 

Herc dodged the original blast of icy cold air, skating around the edges of it until he ran out of arena. With an almost scandalized ‘how dare you do this to me, I’m in sandals’ look on his face, he plunged into the snowbank, coming straight for Cole again. Cole twisted just before Herc reached him, parrying his fist as the hero tried to punch him. Herc barreled past him, sliding on the ice and clearly out of his element. Cole shuddered as he accidentally stuck his foot in a deep snowdrift, filling his shoe with loose snow. Oh, that was gonna get irritating real fast. 

Herc turned around, this time picking his way through the ice and snow. He was a fast learner. The next few moments were an anxious game of keep away. Cole knew that as soon as Herc got his hands on him, the match would be as good as over. So he skated around, just out of Herc’s reach. Then, when Herc started moving more confidently on the ice, Cole jabbed the tip of Moonlight into the ground, casting fire to melt all the ice in the arena. Herc stumbled a little, his feet and fingers a little blue. 

Cole chose that moment to rush him. His strengths were magic and speed after all. He brandished the flats side of his keyblade, the one without the teeth, and swung it at Herc’s gut, instead of his head. Those were very great mistakes. 

Herc has just enough time to brace his feet to take the initial blow, leaving his arms free to catch the teeth of Moonlight, wrenching it to the side to dissipate most of the power from the hit. This led to Cole getting yanked off his feet. He was so used to holding onto his blade through powerful hits and magic that he just couldn’t let go in time. Herc flung Moonlight to the side, Cole flying along with it. Cole collided with something hard, rolling over his shoulder. The next thing he could see was the dirt beneath him. He could feel Moonlight dispel under his fingers, even as he lay on his arm, face pressed into the dirt... outside the arena. 

“Out of bounds! Winner: Hercules!” The official’s voice boomed. A roar of a cheer rose from the stands, almost deafening. Cole groaned, in a bit of pain, as Herc’s hand fell on his shoulder, pulling him into a sitting position. 

“Are you okay?” Herc asked, sounding genuinely concerned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to throw you too....”

Cole shook his head, shaking off a cloud of dust. “Yeah.... Just a little rattled. It’ll walk off.” He pushed himself to his feet, ruffling his hair to get the rest of the dirt out. “Man, Vani’s gonna be absolutely delighted....”

 

Vanitas was, as expected, upset. He was glowering at both Hercules and Cole in turn, not really sure who to be more mad at. “So much for meeting in the finals...,” he grumbled. “And I didn’t even get to see the fight...! That was the whole reason we signed up...!” 

Cole nodded, ashamed and embarrassed. “I know Vani. I’m sorry.” He gave a small, sheepish smile. “At least I’ll get to see you fight. Though I’ve seen you kick bad guy hide plenty of times before.” Vanitas huffed, still looking irritated. “We can spar later if you want.” Cole offered a big, friendly smile. 

Vanitas side-eyed him, a frown, that may have been a small bit pouting, still on his lips. Cole beamed up at him, practically batting his eyelashes, anything for forgiveness. Vanitas let out a long sigh, the tension in his shoulders finally releasing. “Fine. We’ll spar, after I win.” A cocky grin spread across his face. His eyes drifted over to Herc, who was still looking sheepish. “And you better make it to the finals.”

Herc nodded slightly. “Yeah. Same to you.” An expression crossed his face, one that was gone too quick for Cole to recognize. “Hey, you fight with a keyblade too right?” Vanitas nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Uh, well....” Herc blushed, shifting from foot to foot. “Could I... see it? Both of yours actually? I don’t really get a good look at them in battle....” 

Cole grinned and nodded. He extended his hand and felt the weight of Dancing Moonlight in his hand, catching the torch light in a silver sheen as it appeared. Herc gasped softly, eyes running up and down the keyblade. Cole felt his insides flutter as he caught Vanitas doing the same. Vanitas lifted the keychain under his fingers, examining the charm. Cole looked down at it too, feeling a wave of nostalgia and bittersweet memories rising in his stomach. 

_”Wow Cole! It’s so pretty!” Stella beamed, her eyes sparkling as she gently cupped the charm in her hand. It was a crescent moon, sheltering a small black heart. “What do you think it means?”_

_”Means? Does it mean something?” Cole set his keyblade on his lap, leaning over to get a better view of the charm._

_”Well, probably not...,” she admitted, a sheepish smile crossing her face. “But its fun to think about right?” She hefted her own keyblade, Stars Align. The woven threads of the shaft were kind of hypnotizing, shifting colors when the light passed over and through them. The charm dangling from her keychain was three overlapping stars, completely clear until the light caught it, revealing the small red heart nested inside the middle star. “I like to imagine that mine means something...,” Stella mused, her eyes distant, yet sparkling with an excited light. “Right now, I think it means that I’m meant to be a leader... someone who calls lost hearts back into the light.” She smiled softly, looking up at Cole with a shy kind of honesty. “That’s why I talked to you, because you looked like you could use some light.”_

 

Cole blinked hard, pushing the memory down. Vanitas was looking up at him, a concerned expression on his face. Cole flushed slightly. “Huh? What?”

Vanitas let out a long, semi exasperated breath. “Did you hit your head at all?” Although his expression looked very unamused, there was something in his eyes that looked intense, almost like a fire. 

Cole gave a sheepish grin and a half shrug. “Well... I don’t remember hitting it... but....” Vanitas looked like he wanted to smack him, but he restrained himself. “I don’t think so,” Cole said in a more serious tone. He smiled softly, dispelling his keyblade. “Thanks for worrying though.”

Vanitas huffed, crossing his arms. “Sure....” He looked a little embarrassed and a little uncomfortable, so Cole decided to change the subject. 

“Anyways...! Your turn. Summon your keyblade now.” He nudged his shoulder with his own, flashing a big grin. “What’s it called again?”

Vanitas rolled his eyes, raising his hand to call his keyblade. “Void Gear,” he scoffed. 

Nothing happened. 

Vanitas looked down at his hand in surprise. “What...?” He flexed his fingers, apparently trying to call it out by force. 

“Is something wrong...?” Herc asked. Cole opened his mouth to explain, but what was there to explain? How could he explain this? He’d never seen a keyblade resist its wielder’s call before. 

Vanitas looked more than a little panicked. Cole put a hand on his shoulder. “Vani, hold on. Don’t hurt yourself....”

“I... it’s not working.... Why..? Why won’t it come...?” He breathed. He looked like he wanted to cry, faint, or rip the damned blade straight out of his own chest all at once. 

Cole squeezed his shoulder. “Just... take a deep breath.... You’re gonna be okay.... Just try to calm down.” 

Vanitas started to take a deep breath when the goat legged man’s voice echoed into the room. “Hey tall, dark, and angry, you’re up next!”

Herc practically flinched. “J-just a minute Phil!” He glanced back at Cole and Vanitas before rushing out of the room. 

Vanitas’s eyes were wide, his pupils contracted to mere pinpricks. “I... I can’t fight... not without....”

Cole bit his lip, ripping his Moonlight out of the air with a flurry of sparks. He shoved it into Vanitas’s hand. “Use mine.”

Vanitas blinked, staring down at the keyblade, then up at Cole. “What...? I can’t....”

“Yes you can. It’s my keyblade and I’m saying you can use it. Desperate times....” He pushed Vanitas towards the entrance to the arena. “Now go kick heartless butts! You can give it back to me when you’re done. Then we can figure out what’s making yours so shy.” He flashed a grin at Vanitas, giving him one last, pointed shove. “Go get em, Vani.”

 

Vanitas returned five minutes later with a wild look in his eyes. Cole leaped off the stone bench he was sitting on. “How’d it go?” He rushed over to Vanitas, giving him a once over to check for wounds and such. He looked just fine, aside from his expression. “Vani...?”

Vanitas pushed Moonlight into Cole’s hands, finally finding his voice. “That shouldn’t have worked. Keyblades... it... it shouldn’t have worked... but it did.” He was very obviously avoiding looking at Cole. 

“So... you won?” Cole chirped, clutching Moonlight against his chest. Vanitas gave a slow nod, almost looking zoned out. “That’s good then!” Cole grabbed Vanitas’s arm, shaking it, trying to cheer him up. “Now we have a little time to get your keyblade back.” He beamed up at him. 

Vanitas looked down at him, almost in a daze. “Yeah.... Let’s do that.” He rubbed his forehead with the heal of his hand, like he had a headache. Cole tugged him out the back of the waiting area, finding a small secluded spot not too far. 

“Okay, so... what do you think went wrong? What changed since the last time you summoned your keyblade?” Cole asked, tilting his head and putting his hands on his hips. “That was... back in the jungle world right? When you went fishing?”

Vanitas nodded, glaring down at his hand. “Yeah... but now... I can’t even feel it.” He looked up at Cole, a very worried expression on his face. 

Cole patted his head, ruffling his hair. “Don’t worry Vani.” He tapped his finger against his chin. “Is... is it possible it’s being reforged?” 

Vanitas blinked. “Re... forged?” He shook his head, more in confusion than saying no. “I don’t....”

“It happened to one of my friends. He changed and suddenly his keyblade didn’t reflect his heart anymore. So it changed to become his again.” Cole smiled a little at the memory. He’d spent three days straight screaming ‘Keyblade?!!’ It’d been both hilarious and sad. 

Vanitas stared down at his hand. “When... when will it come back...?” He sounded so small, so scared. 

Cole gave a half shrug. “Depends on when it started I guess. When it’s ready?” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “You can use Moonlight, until it comes back.”

Vanitas’s head snapped up. “I...!” He hesitated, shrinking back in on himself. “Are you sure...? It’s... made from your heart....”

Cole nodded. “Yeah. I trust you with it.” He smiled softly, a darkly bitter memory popping into his mind. He shook the feeling off, extending his hand and summoning Moonlight to his hand. “He’s been through rougher trials than this.”

Vanitas looked like he wanted to say something, but something stopped him. “Yeah...,” he mumbled, gingerly laying his hand on Moonlight’s handle. His left hand. “Let me just....” He extended his right hand, closing his eyes. 

Cole tilted his head a little bit. He saw Moonlight’s soft glow brighten, flickering unsteadily. Cole felt his eyebrows furrow, feeling something tugging at his heart. He took a deep breath and moved with it, letting Vani reach for what he needed. He wasn’t lying before, he did trust Vani, completely. Although, he wasn’t sure if whatever they were trying would actually work. 

Apparently it did work, because the next moment, a shimmering shadow erupted from Vanitas’s right hand, dissipating a moment later to reveal a new keyblade. It was beautiful, all black and purple and red. The grip looked just like Cole’s which was really cool. Then the shaft was bisected a little ways down, ending with the teeth twisted in a heart shape, the center of it filled in with black. Cole was pretty sure he made an audible ‘ooooh’ sound. 

Vanitas let out a long breath, almost like he’d been holding it. He hefted the new keyblade giving it a couple test swings. “It’s well balanced...,” he murmured. He inspected it closer, running his fingers across it. Cole noticed that this one didn’t have these eyes where the handle and teeth connected to the shaft, like how Void Gear did. 

Cole felt his face split into a grin as he huffed and put his hands on his hips. “You just couldn’t wait could you?” He shook his head. “Geez Vani. I told you you could use mine. So impatient.”

Vanitas’s eyes slid over to look at Cole, his head still turned towards his keyblade. Cole felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as his heart beat a little harder than was really necessary. Vani has really pretty eyes... and a pretty face....

Vanitas looked down at Moonlight, still in Cole’s hand. “I swing hard... I didn’t want to break it....” He sounded... concerned. 

Cole beamed, touched. “Aww. No need to worry about that Vani. Ol’ Moonlight here’s been through some tough spots. I’m sure he can handle whatever you can dish out.” He nudged Vanitas’s shoulder, then leaned against it, eyes fixating on his keyblade. “But you have yours back now, so double no need to worry.... What’s this one’s name?”

Vanitas hesitated, cocking his head to the side, listening to his keyblade whisper its name to him. “Dark Heart,” he said, a tone of complete certainty in his voice. 

Cole felt a grin spread across his face. “It suits you.” Vanitas didn’t respond aside from a hum of agreement. Cole looked over his shoulder. “Oh crap! The tournament!” He grabbed Vanitas’s arm, pulling him back to the waiting area. 

 

They made it back with plenty of time, thankfully. Cole wished Vanitas good luck as he was shooed towards the spectator stands. And not three minutes later, he walked into the arena, Dark Heart in hand. Cole watched as he raised his keyblade above his head, a hand thrown out in front of him, almost coaxing the silver creatures to come get theirs. 

The match started and Cole watched as three of the seven launched themselves at him. Vanitas batted them away, whirling his keyblade around like he’d been born to wield it. Well, it’d literally been born to be wielded by him. Cole felt a grin spread across his face as Vanitas cut through the silver creatures, their bodies flopping and juggling like half solid jello. They disappeared in a shower of light when Vanitas dispatched them. And just like that, the match was over. Vanitas scanned the crowd until he found Cole. He hefted his keyblade victoriously, a smirk plastered over his face. Cole beamed at him, clapping along with the crowd as he felt his heart soar. 

 

The rest of the tournament drifted by in a haze, one which only cleared when the finals began. Vanitas and Herc stood in the arena, facing each other. Cole was pretty sure Vani was trying to set Herc on fire with his mind. And if not, it was funny to imagine anyways. Cole smiled to himself as the two combatants slipped into fighting stances. The bell rang out like a crack in the noise. And the match began. 

Herc barreled forward, like he’d done with his match against Cole. He dropped his shoulder, apparently trying to push Vanitas out of the arena, but Vani sidestepped him at the last second, smacking his keyblade against the back of Herc’s knee. Herc went down like a ton of bricks, rolling end over end a couple times before he scrambled to his feet again. Vani was prowling around him, eyes fixed on Herc, just waiting for an opening. Cole felt himself leaning forward in his seat, almost holding his breath. 

Herc started circling too, hands held in a wrestling pose, ready to grab. Vani smirked and cocked his head, saying something Cole couldn’t hear over the roar of the crowd. Herc took off like a rubber band snap, shooting across the distance between in an instant, a trail of golden light following behind him. Vanitas feigned a dodge roll again and, as Herc reached out to grab him, Vani planted his hand on Herc’s head and cartwheeled over him. But, even before he hit the ground, Vanitas pointed his keyblade at Herc’s back, firing off a shot of magic. The energy blast connected with Herc’s shoulder blades, making him stagger, a bit faster than his feet could keep up. He toppled over again, falling close to the edge of the arena. Cole strained his neck, trying to see if he’d landed outside it. The ringing bell a moment later answered that question. 

Herc seemed to groan as he banged his head against the arena floor. He didn’t seem to be having a good day. Confetti started falling as Vanitas looked back at Cole, positively beaming. Cole raised his arms in a cheer. 

Then, in an instant the good feeling evaporated, replaces with an intense sense of foreboding. Cole felt the grin slip off his face as a chill ran up the back of his neck. A second later he knew why. 

A pillar of blue fire erupted in the arena and a figure stepped out. He was tall, dressed all in black, with deathly grey skin and hair made of blue fire. The cheering roar of the crowd died instantly. Cole felt like cold fingers were closing around his throat as he stood from his seat. 

Then the newcomer cleared his throat, stepping towards Vanitas. “Well congratulations or whatever.” He waved his hands in the air as he talked. “Hello, Hades: god of the dead, nice to meet you.” He extended his hand for a handshake, which Vanitas ignored. “Eesh, tough crowd. Okay. Here’s the thing, I saw your fight and I was impressed! So, you should come work for me. Okay? Sound good?”

“Not a fucking chance,” Vanitas said, side-eyeing the god. 

Hades seemed to partially deflate. “No? Well... maybe you’ll change your mind with a little bit of... ‘persuasion’.” He snapped his fingers and a dark shadow burst from the ground behind him. It took shape as a giant heartless, thirty feet tall with whispy tendrils of darkness that looked like hair. 

Cole felt a feeling of dread settle in his stomach. He remembered fighting heartless that looked just like that. He remembered... countless fights, hazy at first but getting clearer by the second. Again and again, that thing had tried to kill him and his friends. Several times it had nearly succeeded. Cole felt his body tense as the creature turned its giant face towards him, fixing its blank yellow eyes on him. They weren’t lifeless, but there definitely wasn’t anything alive in there. 

At the edge of his consciousness Cole heard Vanitas shouting, then a loud boom as Herc ripped a pillar out of place and chucked it at Hades. Cole flinched as bits of rubble rained down on him, finally noticing that the rest of the crowd had cleared out. He grit his teeth, turning his face up towards the heartless. He couldn’t let his heart waver, not when Vani was in trouble. He extended his hand and felt the weight of Moonlight fit in his palm. He pulled it into existence with a rippling light that wrapped up his arm, almost clinging to his sleeve. 

Cole steadied himself, gripping his keyblade tightly as he grit his teeth. Magic crackled within the crescent shaped teeth of Dancing Moonlight, ready to fire. And without another moment of hesitation, Cole released the magic. Blue light flared up around him and Cole launched himself towards the massive heartless. 

But what he’d failed to notice, as he was fixated on the heartless, was the wall of fiery energy that exploded out from Hades. Cole barely had time to brace for impact, Stars Align popping into his hand, of its own volition once again, just before the shockwave knocked him sideways. 

Cole felt a sharp bolt of pain in his shoulder, feeling Moonlight slip from his hand, as his shoulder collided with one of the stone benches that made up the stands. Cole grit his teeth as he rolled to his feet, stars dancing in front of his eyes. That... really hurt. He clutched his upper arm, not wanting to actually touch his shoulder. Waves of pain rolled across his back and down his arm, reaching to his fingertips. He forced his eyes open, fighting against pain and the ringing in his ears. Stars and Moonlight lay at his feet. The heartless had moved towards him, climbing into the stands to tower over him. Cole fumbled with his right hand, trying to reach Moonlight’s hilt. The heartless raised its hand, ready to bring it down on top of him. 

Cole grit his teeth, falling forward to snatch Moonlight. He landed on his back, whipping Moonlight up to point straight upwards, aimed for the dead center of the heartless’s head. Magic bloomed from Moonlight’s point, starting from the base of the teeth, sacrificing precision for sheer power. A gigantic blast of magic erupted from Moonlight, tipping through the space above it until it ripped through the heartless too. 

Cole panted hard as his arm fell, Moonlight clattering against the stone stands. The heartless dissolved, sending sparks into the sky. Cole couldn’t move, not even to sit up, or shift from where he’d fallen onto Stars Align. Her points were digging into his shoulder blade. But he couldn’t move, not even if his life depended on it. 

Thankfully, Vanitas’s head appeared in his vision a few moments later. “Cole...?!” His voice sounded distant. Cole felt his fingers checking his pulse. Vanitas said something else that Cole couldn’t quite make out. 

“Damn it Vani, just heal me. I’m not dying,” he groaned, gritting his teeth. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to notice the throbbing in his shoulder. 

A moment later the pain stopped, allowing Cole to slowly push himself to sit up. He shook his head, feeling the clinging magic of a hi-potion cascading down his shoulders, and down the back of his shirt too. Cole opened his eyes, brushing the hair out of his face. “Thanks....”

Vanitas tilted his head slightly, an empty potion bottle in his hands. “I think that was the first time I heard you curse.” 

Cole was taken aback for a long moment, then the feeling broke, sending him into a giggling fit. “Surely not...! And yet...!” He snickered, shaking his head to calm himself down. “Okay. Maybe.” He grinned up at Vanitas, who was extending a hand towards him. Cole took his hand and let Vani pull him o his feet. “I missed most of that last fight, except the part that didn’t miss me. How’d it go?”

Vanitas huffed, crossing his arms. “How do you think? We kicked his ass.” He looked equally smug and proud. 

“Of course,” Cole snickered. “Didn’t expect any different.” He stretched his arms above his head, testing out his shoulder. Then, making sure he’d reequipped both Moonlight and Stars, he put his hands on his hips. “Well. That was fun.”

Vanitas let out a tired sounding sigh. “Sure. ‘Fun.’ Now can we leave before the goat man comes back?” 

Cole snickered, the nodded. “Sure thing. I’ll even get the portal this time, Mr. Champion.” Vanitas rolled his eyes but smiled. Cole spotted Herc on the other side of the arena. “See ya later Herc!” He called, waving good bye. Herc threw a hand up in a gesture that Cole took to be good bye as well. 

Cole called Stars Align to his hand, still not trusting the portals that his poor Moonlight called. He steadied Stars and called forth a portal. Instantly a beam of light shot out and expanded into a portal, swirling with purples and blues and whites. He extended his arm to Vanitas. “After you good sir.”

Vanitas rolled his eyes, trudging past him. “Keep that up and I’ll set you on fire,” he grumbled, not real venom in his voice. 

Cole grinned and trotted after him, stepping into the portal. “You can’t catch me...! I’m too fast!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! I’ve been working on this chapter FOREVER! Sorry it took so long guys! ^^ /
> 
> I wonder if anybody knows what Cole’s backstory is~ 0w0 And betcha didn’t expect Vani to get a new keyblade. 
> 
> Personally I think keyblades reflect the heart of the person who wields them, as we’ve seen in the KH series. So, since he’s a lot different from the start of the story, I gave him a new keyblade. ^<^
> 
> Let me know what you guys think!


	8. Andalasia

Cole wasn’t sure how he ended up hanging upside down from a tree branch snagged on the back of his hoodie, but he was completely sure he’d exhausted every option he had at getting out of this by himself. He’d tried kicking his legs and swinging his arms, trying to slip out of his hoodie, and even smacking the branch currently prodding at his back with his keyblade, both of them. But, despite everything, he was still suspended fifteen feet off the ground, upside down with his feet dangling in his face, hanging from a tree branch that was irritatingly stabbing his back. He’d been hanging there for at least half an hour, and since Vanitas was nowhere in sight, he had no choice but continue to hang there. Well, he could use magic and try to light the branch on fire, but there was no way that wasn’t going to turn out badly. 

A sound caught his attention, almost sounding like... yes! It was a horse! “Hey...!” Cole called. “Hey! Over here...!” The horse whinnied as a shout came from its rider. Barely a minute later, Cole finally saw the horse and it’s rider, a man dressed in a maroon, royal looking outfit with intricate golden patterns that honestly looked more painted on then sewn. 

“Well hello up there!” The man cheered. “Taking in the view?”

Cole forced a smile on his face, weakly waving a hand, despite the blood pooled in his fingertips. “A bit of a misstep actually. I’m not really sure how I got up in the tree....” He shrugged his arms, feeling numbness starting to creep down, or rather up, his stomach. “You wouldn’t... be willing to help me out... would you?”

“More than happy to!” The man beamed from ear to ear, reminding Cole of a salesman or gameshow host... although this guy seemed completely genuine, which was a little unnerving. 

Barely a few minutes later, Cole was safely on the ground, trying to regain feeling in his fingers and feet. The man leaned over him, staring down at him curiously. “Now however did you get stuck up in that tree? I wouldn’t expect someone like you to be climbing for sport....”

Cole narrowed his eyes, a small kernel of distaste welling up inside him. Oh, this was gonna be a fun one wasn’t it? “I honestly have no idea. But I sure am glad you came along when you did. I was up there a while....” He shook his head, putting a hand against a tree trunk to help him stand. The man looked ready to catch him, but Cole managed to rise and lean against the tree. “Thanks for that by the way.... I’m Cole.”

The man nodded approvingly. “Truly, a fine, strong name for an adventurous young man like yourself.” He held out his hand for a handshake. “I am Prince Edward.” 

Cole’s eyebrows shot up at that name. “Oh....” He took the prince’s hand and shook it. “I had a friend named Edward.”

The prince didn’t seem to notice his hesitance, merely jerking him into a violent handshake. “Well, now you have two.” He stepped back and held a hand against his chest. Was he actually posing? “But surely, I am much more handsome. Yes?”

Cole raised an eyebrow and snorted, a smile creeping onto his face. “Sure.” He shook his head and laughed. “Oh! I’m actually looking for someone. We were traveling together, but got separated somehow.”

“A-hah! I knew you were a traveler!” Edward cheered, clapping his hands together. “And might this... traveling companion be... a lovely young maiden?”

The sudden mental image of Vanitas in a princess dress flashed across Cole’s mind. He snorted loudly into his fist, trying to hide his sudden fit of snickering behind his hand. “No...! And he might just stab you if he heard that.”

“Ah!” Edward mused. “Two strapping young men on an adventure to find themselves together. A friend of mine went on one of those, occasionally I get a letter from them.” Cole raised an eyebrow, probably reading a bit too much into that, and yet....

“Sounds adventurous.” He smiled. “But, yeah. Have you seen a guy about my age, little taller than me, with spiky black hair?” 

Edward considered the description for a long moment. “No, I’m afraid not.” A loud roar suddenly ripped through the forest, shaking leaves off the trees. “Ah! There’s that troll!” Edward declared, running back to his horse and leaping onto it in a single bound. “Come now Cole! Let us defeat the villain together! That may be where your friend lies.”

Cole didn’t quite follow the logic there, but decided that it couldn’t hurt anything to at least go look. “Sure...?” He took Edward’s hand and the surprisingly strong prince swung him onto the horse behind him. 

“Ride Destiny!” Edward shouted as the horse reared. Cole clung onto the prince for dear life. He was not prepared for that. The horse sprung into a full steam gallop, making Cole cling tighter to Edward’s clothes. 

 

The troll... was very trollish. Cole honestly didn’t know what he was expecting, but what he got was a twenty-five foot troll under Edward’s boot, not even thirty minutes later. Cole gave a sheepish wave, feeling a little bad for the big fella. It was one thing to fight heartless, but this troll seemed to be a fully rational person. But, somehow this seemed, almost... scripted. The troll at least didn’t look the least bit fazed by getting felled and hogtied. 

“Well done sire!” A voice called from the other side of the troll’s head. Cole peered around the troll’s ear, finding a stout man struggling to climb up the troll’s head. He was dressed in a loose white shirt with a coat open over it and a, what was it called, an ascot tucked into it. As he moved a gold watch, hanging around his neck, bounced against his chest. “That’s your tenth troll this month...!” The newcomer yelped as he slid down the troll’s face. Edward reached down and lifted him up into the air. 

“Oh, hunting trolls is fine to pass the time Nathaniel, but my heart longs to be joined in song!” Edward twirled Nathaniel around, swinging him like a sack of potatoes. Cole wondered if Edward had forgotten he was even there. Then he started singing. “I’ve been dreaming~ of a true love’s kiss~”

And a voice responded from deeper in the forest, apparently singing the same song. “And a prince I’m hoping comes with this~” Cole looked over his shoulder. Oh this world was a musical one was it? Fun. A smile crept onto his face. 

Edward dropped Nathaniel and stepped down off the troll, eyes wide and staring off into the distance. “Did you hear that?”

Nathaniel sputtered and peered down at him. “No, I’m quite sure I- who are you?” He squawked, staring at Cole with wide eyes. 

Cole waved up at him. “Hi.” But before he could respond further, Edward grabbed his hand and yanked him towards his horse. 

“Hurry friend! I must find the maiden with that lovely voice.” He leapt onto his horse, slinging Cole into the saddle behind him. “Ride Destiny!” He called. The horse reared and twisted, darting into the trees as Cole clung to Edward like his life depended on it. 

 

As they raced through the trees, Edward singing like that’d somehow act like a homing beacon, the troll from before bounded towards them, singing his own version of Edward’s song. Cole watched as the troll jumped over them, covering far more ground then the horse could. 

A few moments later, a tree house came into view. The troll was leaning over it, apparently staring into a window. “I eat you now!” He bellowed, plunging his hand into the house. Edward pulled his horse to a stop, drawing his sword. 

Cole leaped off the horse, running towards the tree house. He veered to one side, summoning his keyblade and casting a wind spell on himself. The wind curled around him, taking only a moment to shoot him up into the air. Cole landed on the troll’s knee, nearly slipping off. The troll’s green skin was kinda rubbery and hard to get his footing on. The troll peered down at him, roaring in anger as his hands still groped around inside the house. Cole winced slightly, muttering a small apology before plunging the tip of his keyblade into a soft part of the troll’s knee. The blade sank down to the crescent moon shaped teeth, it wasn’t much, but it was enough to hurt. 

The troll roared in pain, ripping his hand out of the house, something human shaped clenched in his fist. He jerked his leg up and Cole used the momentum to launch himself into the gap of the house. As Cole tumbled into the room, he landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Forcing his eyes open as he gasped for breath, he saw a pretty young woman in a flowing pink dress climbing out of the second floor window. Cole tried to call out to her, but all he could manage was a strangled wheeze. 

The girl climbed through the window and Cole heard the troll roaring as he chased after her. Cole forced himself to roll to his feet, grunting as his lungs burned for air. He staggered to his feet as he finally caught his breath. He heard the girl screaming, then a loud snap, then the troll’s screams faded into the distance. Cole pokes his head out of the hold in the house, seeing Edward holding the girl in his arms. They had started singing a duet, completely forgetting about him. A chipmunk scurried down a tree, leaping off it to land on Cole’s shoulder. 

“Thanks for trying to save our girl.” A small voice chirped. “Even if it was kinda ineffective.”

Cole sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Yeah... that seems to be a theme lately....” He offered his finger to the chipmunk. “I’m Cole, a... friend of Edward’s.”

The chipmunk shook his finger. “The name’s Pip. I guess you could say I’m Giselle’s guardian, and her best friend.”

Cole nodded, slipping into a light jog to follow the horse with Edward and Giselle. “She’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

Pip blushed, his fur fluffing up. “Aww that’s sweet to say.” He smoothed back the fur on his head. “But you’re right. Now don’t lose them.”

Cole laughed softly, ducking under a tree branch. Several other woodland creatures ran alongside him, apparently just as determined to stay with Giselle. “Speaking of friends, I’m looking for mine. He’s got spiky black hair and is a little taller than me. Oh and red eyes. Have you seen anybody like that?”

Pip stroked his chin, deep in thought. “Nope. Haven’t seen anybody but you and pretty boy up there.”

Cole gave a small sigh, starting to get a little worried. “Well, if you do see him....”

“I gotcha sweetheart,” Pip said, patting Cole’s cheek. 

Cole allowed a small smile of relief to crawl onto his face. “Thanks.” He pushed down the anxious feeling in his stomach. How long had it been since...?

 

That night, as the castle was preparing for the wedding, apparently happening the next day, Cole followed Pip as he was ordered to go to Giselle’s room. The room was just what he’d expected, giant bed with drapes, a large, warm fireplace, and stained glass windows that stood tall, almost to the ceiling. As Cole closed the door behind him, Pip leaped up onto the bed next to Giselle, putting a hand on her leg. 

Giselle looked up at Cole, uncurling, stretching her legs out in front of her. “Oh. Hello. You’re the nice young man who tried to save me earlier right?”

Cole nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.” He scratched the back of his head. “Glad you’re safe, uh, Giselle right?” 

She nodded, a soft smile on her lips. “I wanted to thank you, for trying.” She looked down at her hands. “Pip says you’re looking for your friend...?”

Cole nodded, not quite sure why she was asking about that. “Yeah...?”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find him. After all, you two are very close, aren’t you?” She beamed up at him, reminding Cole of the other princesses he’d met. He decided Giselle fit the role just fine. 

He nodded. “Yeah... I’d say so. I’d say... our hearts are... connected, because we’re... friends.” Cole felt a smile form on his face as he picked at his fingernails. 

Giselle tilted her head. “Why do you sound so sad?” Cole flinched, suddenly very self conscious. 

“Ah... uh... well it’s....” He hesitated. He didn’t want to spill his heart to this person he’d just met, but her light was very strong, and maybe.... “I lost some friends... not that long ago. And I’m a little worried about doing something that’ll make me loose him too. I mean, we haven’t even known each other that long, but... he’s... already really important to me....” Cole felt a void start to open in his chest, almost painful. 

Giselle gasped, hands flying to her mouth. “Oh! Are you in love?!”

Cole actually felt the blood flooding his face. “W-w-what?! N-no way...! I haven’t... I mean... he’s not.... Oh geez....” Cole pressed his hands to his face, taking several deep breaths as he tried to get his heart rate under control. Something was squirming in his stomach, sending him off balance. “Oh god.... I think I am....” He groaned into his hands, curling in on himself. How the hell did that happen?! When the hell did that happen? Cole felt like he was gonna straight up die right there. “Kingdom Hearts, take me now...,” he swore into the heel of his hands. 

Giselle leaned forward, smiling like a star. “I think it’s wonderful that you care for him so much. Is he your true love?”

Cole scoffed, sitting down on the floor, trying not to make a complete fool of himself. “I don’t think it’s that simple princess.” He shook his head. “The last person I thought might be tried to punch me in the face.”

Giselle gawked, a hand covering her mouth. “Well that’s not very nice! And that person surely wasn’t your true love, if they were trying to do that!”

Cole nodded slightly, letting out a soft sigh. “Besides, I don’t think either of us are even ready to think about that. We both have our own issues to work out first, without... worrying about something like that....” He looked down at his feet, wishing that feelings were easy. 

Giselle tilted her head, a small smile on her face. “Well, if it’s true love, wouldn’t it be easier to say that first?”

Cole shook his head slightly. Something was preventing them from seeing eye to eye on this. Maybe his issues with trust. Maybe her blind faith. Maybe a bit of both, or neither. “I don’t even think he likes me like that, Giselle. And he needs me to be his friend first....” She seemed disheartened, looking down at her lap. Cole sighed and sat up. “How about, I promise to talk to him about it eventually, when the time is right.”

Giselle perked up and nodded, cupping her hands against her chest. “Oh that sounds wonderful.”

“But you can’t tell him, okay? That’s my secret to tell.” Cole pressed a finger against his lips.

Giselle nodded, pressing her finger against her lips. “Alright. It’s a secret.”

Cole felt his shoulders relax as he leaned back on his elbows. “Thanks....” He gave a soft laugh. “You know... I think I actually feel better. Thanks Princess.” 

Giselle gasped softly, covering her mouth. “O-oh...! Well...! I’m not a princess yet....” She blushed a little bit. 

Cole could actually see her sweet little heart fluttering. “Some people are just made to be princesses, even if they’re not technically a princess.” He grinned and winked. “Yet.” 

 

The next morning came with the sounds of trumpets and birds chittering about the wedding dress they’d almost finished. Cole was proud of himself for rolling out of bed and not grumbling about making chicken soup. He’d been cleaned up and “invited” to the wedding as Prince Edward’s personal guest. Cole had to wonder what he’d done to be invited to a wedding the day after meeting someone, and began to suspect that, like Wonderland, this world ran on its own rules. 

But there was an unsettled feeling in his stomach. Something about this place seemed... off, even more so than Wonderland, which was impressive and not a good feeling. But, he pushed the feeling away as he tried to put on a happy face for the wedding. Giselle seemed nervous last night and he wanted to make her feel as comfortable as possible. 

But, after a few long minutes, the guests began to stir, shifting and looking back at the door. Apparently she was late. Cole hopes she didn’t get cold feet and just run off. He was debating about going to see if he could find her when Pip charged into the room. 

“Prince Edward! Giselle, she...!” He galloped down the tops of the pews, landing on Cole’s shoulder. “Giselle was pushed down the well in the courtyard!”

Prince Edward gasped, standing at attention. “Then I shall go rescue her! Attendants! My battle outfit!” Several people dressed in maroon appeared out of nowhere, lifting a curtain around Edward, only to drop it a moment later. Somehow, in the thirty seconds that had passed, they managed to completely change his clothes back into what Cole had seen him wearing the day before. Edward flashed a daring smile. “Nobody leave! I’ll return with my true love forthwith!” And with that he charged out of the room. 

Pip squeaked, “Wait for me!” And dashed after him. 

Cole half rose from his seat, mind and heart split on whether or not to follow. His mind told him that the prince could handle this, that he’d just get in the way. His heart told him that he should go. In fact, it insisted. Well, his heart was his ‘guiding key’ or whatever right? Cole leaped out of the pew and followed the prince and the chipmunk out of the chapel. 

He got to the courtyard just in time to see the prince leap down a fountain, a gorgeous fountain that seemed off somehow, almost detached from the world. Cole felt his heart pulling him towards the fountain, a sense of familiarity. It was only as he took a running leap down, diving into the fountain feet first, that he realized that it felt like a portal to a connected world. 

 

Cole found himself in darkness, surrounded by a million twinkling lights. For a moment he panicked. Did this mean he was dead? Then the feeling faded as he actually felt his body move, drifting downwards as the lights slowly drifted towards him. It also felt familiar.... Was this a ‘dive to the heart’? That’s what Stella had called it right? It definitely wasn’t his heart though... maybe a world’s heart? Was that even possible? But before he could question it, the lights all surged towards him, latching onto his body, making it both numb and hypersensitive. His head hurt. Something... this was weird... wrong. This wasn’t right. Something was wrong with this portal. 

The next moment, Cole was shot out, into open air. Reflexively he landed on a metal railing that surrounded the hole he just shot out of. He shielded his eyes against the sudden bright light. The sun was shining much harsher here. Blinking the vision back into his eyes Cole found several men staring up at him. 

“Well at least you don’t look completely nuts,” one of them grumbled. Cole looked down at the man who’d spoken, dressed in worker’s clothes and a reflective vest. 

“Thank... you...?” Cole tilted his head, hopping down to solid ground. He looked around at the massive skyscrapers and add signs plastered to their sides. “Where... am I...?” He breathed. This place was crowded, bustling with people, bursting with hearts. 

The man in the vest scoffed, looking around. “This? Welcome to New York, pal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But of a short chapter here, but a quick update. I didn’t want to make this chapter much bigger than it needed to be, cuz that would get annoying real quick, but hurray! The start of a multi chapter arc! It maybe only two chapters, or it maybe three or four, I donno~ 
> 
> The inspiration for this movie was “Oh!! Enchanted is Disney!! Well, I gotta do it now!” And so I did. :}
> 
> Let me know what you guys think! I love hearing back from readers! :D


	9. New York part 1

Vanitas didn’t wake up as much as he came to. His senses returned to him one by one. First he felt the cold, wet asphalt pressing against his cheek, then the rain that had already soaked his clothes. Then he was able to force his eyes open, slowly pushing himself to his knees. Looking around, he found himself in a back alley, completely alone. The world was dark, rainy and something smelled foul. Vanitas pushes himself to his feet, staggering slightly before he regained his balance. Then he heard something. A woman was shouting something, barely audible over the rain. 

Then, a cold realization washed over him as he looked around for the source of the voice. He was alone. Where was Cole? “Cole?!” Vanitas felt something painful erupt in his chest that he labeled panic. He pushed it down before an unversed could form, turning in circles. Cole couldn’t be far, they’d stepped through the doorway at almost the same time. 

Vanitas felt his chest contract around a feeling of dread. The doorway... Cole’s doorway.... They’d used Cole’s doorway for the first time, that must have been the problem. But what had happened? Did something interfere? Vanitas couldn’t think of how, or what. If Xehanort had found them, he wouldn’t still be alive. But... something had gone wrong, very very wrong. 

Vanitas winced as an unversed erupted from the bare skin on his shoulder. The fear, the thing that looked like a rabbit with oversized ears, squealed at him and bounded away. Vanitas cursed and started after it, only to stop short when the woman’s cries came again. He heard a man’s voice too, could that be Cole? It sounded similar at least, but he couldn’t tell through the rain. Throwing a glance over his shoulder at the retreating unversed, he turned and ran towards the source of the sound. 

 

The scene he saw there was certainly strange out of context. There was a woman in an enormous wedding dress, taking up two feet of space in all directions. She was disheveled and drenched, looking flustered and scared. She was speaking to a little girl, maybe six or seven, talking about a wedding. Okay...? Then there was a man, looking completely confused. Cole wasn’t there. 

Vanitas felt his heart sink, then shook the feeling off. Why should he... what...? Why should he ‘worry’? Why should he ‘care’? Why should he feel like his chest was splitting open... again? Vanitas bit down hard on his lip, tasting blood, until he forced his heart back into place. He couldn’t let himself summon any more unversed. Then the thought occurred to him.... Why hadn’t he been creating unversed. The last time he remembered doing it was... Halloween Town.... That’s been several days ago. Then the rabbit shaped one just now. But he’d been feeling emotions just the same... but no unversed had formed. What was the difference...? Was it... Cole? But why...? What was he doing that was stopping the flow of unversed? Was it... It was his light wasn’t it? He was acting as a light to the darkness inside Vanitas. The unversed were formed from the absence of light in his heart. Created by the pure darkness that didn’t know how to handle emotions on its own. If his darkness was somehow resonating with Cole’s light.... 

“Um.. excuse me...?” A soft voice called, snapping him back to attention. Vanitas’s head snapped up, seeing the other people looking at him. A hot flash of shame threatened to take form, but he crushed it inside himself. “Are you...?” The woman spoke again, shifting her wedding dress. “Oh yes...! You’re a boy with black hair and red eyes!”

Instantly Vanitas went defensive, planting a foot and reaching for his keyblade, though he didn’t draw it yet. “Why...?”

The woman smiled widely, pressing her hands against her chest, a bright light shimmering in her eyes and her heart. “Because I know your friend, Cole. He’s looking for you.” 

Vanitas instantly dropped his guard. Something in his chest jumped, not his heart obviously, definitely just an unformed unversed. “You... you know Cole...? Where is he?” 

The woman gathered her dress, walking towards him. “He’s back in Andalasia. He helped rescue me from a very mean troll. I was trying to get help in that castle...” She pointed up to a billboard with a castle on it. Vanitas was suddenly very skeptical. It was obviously a billboard. Well... doorways to unique worlds could be anything.... Okay, so maybe she wasn’t crazy... completely. “But then I... I fell and this nice man caught me and said I can go to his home to call for Edward—he’s my fiancé.” She smiled up at Vanitas, sparkling with a really bright light. Vanitas tried not to flinch away from the light. It was far too bright. “You should come with us. When Edward comes for me, you can come with us and... find your friend.”

Vanitas considered that for a moment. It seemed far fetched, but the light didn’t lie. She completely believed in what she was saying. Vanitas figured that was his best bet for finding Cole. He let out a sigh and nodded. “Alright. That’d probably be best.” Then, a thought occurred to him. “Wait. You said Cole was in....”

“Andalasia,” she chirped helpfully. 

Vanitas nodded slightly. “So if we’re not in Andalasia... where are we?”

The man spoke up, protectively clutching the young girl against his side. “We’re in New York.”

 

Vanitas decided he did not like the woman, Giselle. She was too much like a princess of light for him to even comfortably sit next to her. She wasn’t a princess of light, thankfully, but she was damn near close. She’d drifted off soon after they arrived in the man’s apartment, falling asleep with a long, delicate sigh. Vanitas stared at her, somewhat wishing he could just take her home himself, but he had no idea how to do that. And if Cole was coming anyways... might as well just stay put. 

The man, his name was... Robert, came into the room, looking several times more distressed. “No, no no no...!” He looked down at the sleeping princess, she had insisted that she wasn’t yet, but that hardly mattered. Then, Robert turned to Vanitas. “And I suppose you don’t know where’s she’s from either.” Vanitas shook his head, giving a sympathetic shrug, though he didn’t really feel sympathetic. Robert sighed and shook his head. “Fine... just...! We’ll... we’ll figure it out in the morning....” He shook his head again and vanished deeper into the apartment. 

Vanitas settles down on the second couch, since there was no way he was going to share with Giselle, even if her dress hadn’t taken up the entire couch. He stared at the ceiling for a long time, chewing his lip. If only he knew what had gone so wrong to send them to... apparently two different worlds. These worlds had to be connected somehow, or else Giselle wouldn’t be here. But what happened to the doorway. Vanitas spent almost an hour just thinking, not paying much mind to the unversed that spawned and scurried under the couch. They were just as nervous as he was apparently. At least... there weren’t any heartless in this world. It wasn’t such a bad world to get lost in... even if they were lost on two different sides of it. With that thought, Vanitas drifted off into a restless, dreamless sleep. He felt vulnerable here, there was something missing. 

 

Vanitas woke up, it was waking up this time, to the sound of singing. He cracked his eyes open to see the early morning light brightening the apartment enough to see. Giselle was straightening her hair in a mirror, tucking it behind her ears. Then, almost instantly, animals began pouring into the apartment. Rats scampered out of cabinets. Pigeons flew in through the open windows. And cockroaches climbed out of the air vent. Vanitas felt several unversed, who must have spawned in his sleep, stirring underneath the couch. 

Giselle seemed shocked by the crowd of creatures in front of her. Sorry princess, no friendly woodland critters here. But almost as soon as the look appeared, it vanished, replaced with one of determination. “Well, it’s always nice to make new friends.” She dusted off her hands and set her shoulders. Then she started singing. 

“Come my little friends and we’ll all sing a happy little working song~ Merry little voices clear and strong!” The birds, cockroaches and rats all scampered off to start cleaning. Several unversed, the four legged ones that couldn’t simply stay still, ran out from under the couch to help. Vanitas laid back down and pulled a pillow over his face. “We’ll keep singing without fail! Otherwise we’d spoil it...!” Giselle was singing in a shrill voice as she bounded around the apartment. Vanitas suppressed a groan, but otherwise didn’t move. She wasn’t a bad singer, just... very happy... and bouncy. He liked Cole’s song better. 

“Oh, how strange a place to be~ ‘Till Edward comes for me~ my heart~! Is sighing...! Still as long as I am here~ I guess! A new experience could be worth trying...!” Vanitas peered out from under the pillow, watching her walk back in from the balcony. She pranced around the room for a few more minutes, then, finally, settled down. “Ahh~ wasn’t this fun?” 

Vanitas spotted his unversed crawling back towards him sheepishly. So, the princess had power even over them. Music magic... Vanitas huffed and reluctantly sat up. He heard a shout from Robert as he charged into the room, swinging a broom at the vermin. Vanitas decided he didn’t want to want to deal with this any more, so he laid back down, pulling the unversed back into himself. 

Memories of a fitful night returned, he’d spent the night ebbing and waning between sleep and wakefulness, never quite falling asleep. No wonder he was still so tired. He nestled himself back against the couch, trying to burrow under the pillows as the other occupants of the apartment started shouting. Someone, a new woman, said something about ‘crowd control’ and sounded very angry about it. But Vanitas didn’t stay awake enough to find out, slipping into a half sleep again. 

 

Some time later, Robert roused Vanitas, demanding that he come along with him and Giselle. Vanitas reluctantly obliged, not because Robert demanded it, but because staying with Giselle was his best chance at finding Cole. They had stayed at Robert’s office, something about marriage things, he wasn’t really paying attention. Then Giselle had apparently made a scene, Vanitas had been napping again. Then, finally free from that annoyingly neat place, they had headed down to a local park, so Robert could clear his head and so he could explain cultural differences to Giselle. Vanitas trailed a good distance behind, staying close, but very much trying to avoid the both of them. 

And, he had been succeeding, until he heard Giselle shout. “Oh...! Oh! Over there! I think that’s him!” Vanitas followed her finger and saw a young man with blond hair, the top long and the sides buzzed, wearing a black hoodie and dirty looking jeans. 

Robert grabbed her hand and yanked it down. “It’s not polite to point. And that’s a kid in a hoodie, they’re a dime a dozen here. You can find one on every street corner.”

Vanitas felt his chest contract around his heart. Something told him Robert was right. But then, something told him Robert was wrong. Hesitantly, but not showing it in his voice, he called out across the open space. “Cole...?!”

The figure started and turned around, his eyes lighting up as Cole’s face split into a grin. “Vani!” He took off running, Vanitas found himself running to meet him. They stopped short of each other. Cole’s face was red and he was taking deep breaths. “I... I was looking for you....” He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. 

Vanitas let out a sigh. “Yeah. Don’t do that again.” He shook his head. “How the hell did we end up in two different worlds Cole?” He crossed his arms. Cole laughed sheepishly again, giving a half shrug. 

“Oh Cole! Have you come to find me?” Giselle asked, floating closer. Cole’s eyes went a little wide, looking at her with a small sliver of horror that Vanitas decided to make note of... for later. 

Cole nodded slightly. “Yeah.. uh... I followed Edward here and... lost him. Oh! And Pip too! But uh... I have no idea where they are right now.” He gave a sheepish grin and shrugged. 

Robert appeared at Giselle’s side. “Great, so you all can go home now and let my life get back to normal?” 

Cole gave the man a sympathetic look, and he might have actually meant it. “I’m... not sure if we should.... Edward’s looking for Giselle and he won’t go back until he finds her. So... even if we take her back to Andalasia... Edward will still be here, on a wild goose chase forever....” He looked up at Robert. “I’m sorry.”

Robert sighed. “Alright... well one more couldn’t be any worse... at least you don’t look like a crazy person.”

Cole snickered softly, hiding behind an awkward grin. “Thanks....” Robert shook his head and took Giselle’s arm, leading her back along the path they were taking. Vanitas jerked his head to the side, signaling for them to follow. And they fell instep beside each other. 

Giselle kept glancing over her shoulder at them, even as she kept chattering away with Robert. Vanitas shot her a glare and caught Cole doing the same. That was... unusual, for Cole at least. He made another mental note. 

Vanitas felt something in his chest settle down, like all the unversed scratching against his will, trying to form, all decided that stretching out and basking in the soft, warm light was a better idea. Vanitas felt like he should say something, tell Cole what he’d semi-deduced. That had to mean something. But before he could say anything, he heard Giselle start singing again. 

“How does she know~ you love her~?”Vanitas grit his teeth and tried not to show the irritation that was bubbling up inside him. He saw Cole’s eyes widen a little, then he seemed to relax after a moment. Then the street musicians joined in. She really was magic. 

Cole’s face split into a grin. He jerked his head in a ‘come on’ motion and sprinted up to join Giselle and the musicians. “How does she know that you really, really truly love her!” They sang together. 

Giselle took the lead, with Cole somehow keeping up with her, singing a lover form of whatever Giselle was singing. “She’ll Be inclined to say~ ‘How do I know~ he~ loves me? How do I know~ he’s mine...!” Vanitas rolled his eyes and reluctantly followed, sticking by Robert, mostly to hide in his shadow. 

“He’ll find a new way to show you, a little bit every day~! That’s how you know~ That’s how you know~! He’s your love~....” Giselle leaned back a little when she sang that part, looking pointedly at Vanitas. Vanitas, suddenly curious as to why she seemed to be singing to him..., leaned forward slightly, watching Giselle closely. She stayed next to Cole, even as they passed a table advertising a ball. Giselle and Cole both looked excitedly at it, but the suddenly formed parade quickly pushed them past it. 

“Everybody wants to live happily after~” Cole hopped up on a small stone wall, walking across it and dismounting with a quick spin and leap. He grinned as Giselle grabbed his arm, locking eyes with Vanitas as she spun around, dragging Cole in a circle. “Everybody wants to know their true love is true~!” 

Vanitas, suddenly, thought he understood what Giselle was saying. Was she saying... she thought he and Cole... Cole and him.... Vanitas shook his head, but the thought stayed planted firmly in the front of his mind. 

“How do you know~ he loves you~?! How do you know~ he’s yours?! Well, does he take you out dancing just so he can hold you close~? Dedicate a song just for you~ oooo~” Giselle lead Cole onto a fountain, so that they could be seen and heard over the crowd of gathered singers. “He’ll find his own way to tell you~ with the little things he’ll do! That’s how you know! That’s how you know~! He’s your love~ He’s your love~” Giselle looked pointedly at Vanitas again, then seemed satisfied by the look of mild horror on his face. 

Robert noticed too, looking down at him and putting a hand on Vanitas’s shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

Vanitas covered his mouth with his hand, nodding and shaking off Robert’s hand. Robert seemed to believe him, or maybe understand that he wasn’t gonna talk about it. He turned back to the performance, watching Giselle and Cole lead the rest of the song. 

“His heart will be your forever~! Something every day will show! That’s how you know~!” The Song was getting louder, then suddenly it stopped. It was done. And almost like a spell had been broken, the people, the singers and dancers and the parade dissipated, each going their own way. 

Vanitas swallowed thickly, eyes narrowed at Cole as he and Giselle returned. They looked happy, reinvigorated. “That was fun...!” Cole gasped, his face a little red and breathing a little hard. “Not a bad song princess.” He chuckled as Giselle bumped his arm. She drifted off to Robert, pulling him towards a cart that was stuffed with flowers. Close watched them leave, then turned to look at Vanitas, jumping a little when he saw Vanitas squinting at him. “What...?” He looked embarrassed. “I like singing with princesses... it’s easier... because they use magic that makes it second nature.... No stage fright and stuff....” He looked down at his feet, scuffing them against the ground. “Are you mad because I left you with that guy...?” He looked guilty. 

Vanitas sighed, deciding now wasn’t the time or place. The amount of people, hearts filled with light, was already starting to wear him down. He shook his head. “Yeah.... Don’t leave me again. You’re such a child....” He pushed a smirk on his face for that last part. 

Cole’s eyes widened as his mouth fell open. “Ah...!” He shoved Vanitas’s shoulder with his own. “But I’m too old for Santa’s list...!” He protested, a grin flashing on his face. 

“Yeah, so what’s your excuse for still acting like a child?” Vanitas felt a more genuine smirk form on his face, growing into a grin when Cole messed up his hair in revenge. They bickered like that all the way back to Robert’s apartment, hours later. But, despite Vanitas letting go of his iron grip on his emotions, no unversed formed. 

 

Robert left the two of them at the apartment when he, his daughter, and Giselle left to go out for dinner. He let Cole order them a pizza though. For some reason Robert trusted Cole more than Vanitas. He wasn’t wrong to, Vanitas just wasn’t sure what tipped him off. 

Cole was very happily eating his fourth slice of pizza while Vanitas was finishing off his second, scooping up garlic butter with the last bits of his crust. He swallowed, finally pushing down the nervous lump in his throat, scraping up his nerve to actually say something. “We never talk about ourselves.” That was stupid. Vanitas mentally slapped himself, feeling his nerves prickle as Cole stopped eating and looked at him. 

He swallowed the bite he wasn’t quite done chewing, clearing his throat before he spoke. “Wh-what do you mean?” He took a drink of his soda, clearing his throat again. 

Vanitas looked past him, not wanting to meet his eyes. “I mean... we’ve been traveling together for a while... and we’ve never really talked about ourselves.” Damn, he was bad at this. 

Cole tilted his head, a small smile on his lips. There was a bit of sauce on his lip.... Vanitas forced himself to drink his own soda. “Well... what do you wanna talk about?” Cole asked, sounding like he actually did want to talk about something. 

Vanitas felt the panic in his stomach rise, but no unversed formed to take the feeling away. Damn, that was a downside. “I....” Vanitas looked down at his soda, listening to the carbonation fizzing under the kid. “I don’t remember much... before... this.” He gestured to himself. “Before I was split from my light....” He shook his head slightly. “Never mind... forget it.”

They say in silence for a long moment. Then, as if the door had opened, Cole started talking. “I had friends, before.” He extended his hand and summoned the picture Santa had given him to it. He set it down, leaning it against the pizza box. Vanitas found himself leaning closer to look at it. There were six people, three sitting on the couch, one laying across their laps, and two standing behind the couch. One of the people who were standing was Cole. 

Cole leaned in and pointed to the girl standing next to him. She was pretty, long black hair that was clipped to stay out of her face and caramel skin. Her sleeveless blouse was covered in colored flowers. There was a confident, yet exasperated look in her eyes, and a smile that practically radiated soft light. “That’s Stella. Stars Align is her keyblade. She’s... she was our leader. I don’t know how she kept us all alive, must have been like herding cats.” He grinned and shook his head. “She’s the one who saved my life... back when....” Vanitas leaned over a little bit, pressing his shoulder against Cole’s. He didn’t need to finish that thought. 

Cole leaned back against him and sighed softly. He pointed at the person lying across the laps of the other three. “That’s Edward. Not to be confused with Giselle’s prince.” He laughed softly. “Eddie... He’s a little gremlin. He started the whole prank war that ended up with Apollo—the guy giving him bunny ears—getting shoved into a skirt.” Vanitas smiled softly as he noted that the pale, dark haired boy, who was dressed like he was trying to show as little skin as possible, looked like he needed three straight weeks of just sleep. The other boy, with olive skin and messy brown hair, that stuck out in every direction, looked like someone who’d set fires for fun. Vanitas wasn’t sure how they were friends, but then, he wasn’t sure how they were friends with Cole either. 

“That’s Haley.” Cole pointed to a pretty girl with bright red hair and freckles like dark stars against a pale sky. She had a black choker necklace around her neck. Vanitas found his hand drifting up to his own. “And that’s Grace.” The final person, a girl with ebony skin and hair that hung in thick dreadlocks. She was pretty too. Vanitas began to feel a little... what? Nervous? Jealous? “Grace and Haley were dating since before I even knew them.” Oh. Never mind. 

Cole smiled fondly, tilting his head. “Apollo and Eddie started dating too... a couple months before....” He shook his head, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead. 

Vanitas gingerly laid his head against Cole’s shoulder. “I remember... when I was born... as a being of pure darkness... I didn’t have a face at first.” Cole looked down at him, one eyebrow raised. Vanitas snickered softly. “I’m not kidding. I didn’t have a face, just red eyes... under my mask. Then... Master....” He caught himself. He wasn’t sure if Master Xehanort could really.... But he didn’t want to take any chances.

“My master, he’s the one who split... us. He made the person who was ‘me’ into two separate people. Then, he took what was left of me... my body... and the shattered remnants of my heart, the light part... he took them away....” Vanitas trailed off, the memory suddenly much too fresh. But he kept going. “Then, something happened. I felt the connection to my light... fade I guess...?” He gave a half shrug. “But, I found out later, my light... he’d been saved by a new heart. That heart mended the broken part of his....” Vanitas stopped himself as he started shaking, venom slipping into his voice. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and leaning into the warmth of Cole’s shoulder. Cole’s arm looped around his back, pulling him into a tight half hug. 

Vanitas took another deep breath. This was gonna be painful whether he said it now or later. “That was Sora... his heart mended what was left of mine. And... when it was finished... my nothing of a face changed to look like him....” Vanitas gritted his teeth, turning towards Cole to bury his face in his shoulder. “He... he took up the space I was supposed to fit...! He cut off my heart from me. I... I lost everything that made me ‘me’... all at once. I lost my face, my light, and even my fucking name...! I...” He make himself take another deep breath, realizing after a moment that his fingers were digging into Cole’s shoulders, even as his arms were wrapped around Vanitas. He could feel Cole’s breath as he pressed his face into Vanitas’s hair. “My master... named me ‘Vanitas’ when he.... He used me. I was just a tool to him, no longer a student. I don’t think I ever was.... that’s why I... I ran away.... That’s when I met you....” Vanitas felt a hot flash of shame spreading across his face and down his neck. What was wrong with him? What had made him spill absolutely everything all at once...?! This wasn’t how he wanted this conversation to go. 

His breath hitched and hiccuped as he calmed down, ever so slowly, pulling himself together again. He started to pull away, but stopped when he felt Cole’s lips pressing against the top of his head. Not a romantic gesture, more of a grounding one. But it kept him in place all the same. Vanitas kept his eyes closed and they just stayed like that, for a long time, until they heard voices. Slowly, regretfully, they separated, Cole handing Vanitas a pile of clean napkins to blow his nose. He did, stuffing them in the designated trash bag just before Robert and the others came home. 

 

When Robert and the others started making a lot of noise, Cole and Vanitas retreated to the balcony. Giselle and Robert started talking loudly, their tones and volumes rising until Cole shut the balcony door. He let out a sigh and leaned against the railing, staring out at the night skyline. Vanitas sat on the railing, not concerned about falling in the slightest. 

After a long time, Giselle and Robert’s voices stopped leaking through the door, leaving them in the silent noise of the city. There were so many people here, more than Vanitas had ever remembered seeing in one place. Then, almost as if he was afraid to break the silence between them, Cole spoke again, his voice almost whisper soft. “I’m... not sure how to say it exactly....” Vanitas looked down at him, watching as Cole’s deep blue eyes reflected the lights of the city around them, like there were stars painted on a blue night sky. Cole didn’t look at him though, but Vanitas could see that his eyebrows were furrowed and he was chewing his lip. “But... you should know... about your past... the stuff you told me....” 

Vanitas tensed, waiting for the shattering of his heart. Again. Why wouldn’t Cole reject him? He’d told him he wasn’t even a proper person. He’d told him that he was just part of a broken heart, one that no longer had a place within Ventus. Who would even want a shadow of a shattered heart? He felt so stupid for even allowing his heart to... hope.

Cole let out a long breath, tension falling out of his shoulders. His voice was a little less quiet, but no less soft. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Vanitas felt his mind come to a sudden stop. That... wasn’t what he was expecting at all. He couldn’t help the confused sound that escaped his lips, but he quickly cleared his throat and tried again. “What...?”

Cole looked up at him, filled with a gentle light... and a little bit of darkness. “It’s not your fault, what happened to you. And you didn’t deserve it.”

Vanitas opened and shut his mouth, words dying before they could even rise to his throat. 

Cole kept his eyes locked with Vanitas’s own. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t deserve it.”

Vanitas sat quietly for a moment, then looked away. “I know....” His eyes caught movement and he glanced back towards Cole, seeing that he was offering his hand. After barely even a moment of hesitation, Vanitas took it. He felt the warmth of Cole’s hand through his gloves, almost convincing himself that Cole was feeling warmth from him too. He scooted closer, letting Cole lay his head against him. Vanitas felt an ache rise and fall in his chest, ever so slowly fading. He closed his eyes, just feeling the gently light, the warmth of the heart next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! Three chapter arc! :3 I have the next chapter almost done, since I didn’t want one to be super short. 
> 
> So~ some feels in this chapter huh? There’ll be some next chapter too! I figured I’d stalled enough. And by that I mean, they’ve built enough trust with each other to talk about such things. Hope you guys enjoyed~! :3


	10. New York part 2

The next morning Vanitas was woken up by a harsh knocking on the door. He cracked an eye open, seeing Giselle and Robert huddled and whispering together in the kitchen. He pressed his face back into the couch’s throw pillow, turning over. Or at least he tried to. Something stick like was tangled in his legs. Vanitas sat up, blearily staring down at the other end of the couch. 

Cole groaned something in his sleep, rolling onto his back and yanking his leg free, dropping it over the side of the couch. He’d pulled his foot out of his sock. Vanitas snickered as he picked up the sock by one end, tossing it to land on Cole’s face. Immediately, Cole jerked, his eyes flying open as he sat up. He looked down at the sock in his lap, then narrowed his eyes at Vanitas. “Hey...!” Vanitas snickered again, then stopped as a man in a garish maroon outfit walked into the room. 

The man’s puffy sleeves were bigger than his head. His tights were gold and maroon, cinched too tight around his legs. His shirt had so many goddamned buttons Vanitas wasn’t sure how he’d managed to button them all. The man looked down at Cole, who was leaning over the end of the couch. “Ah! Cole, my friend! You’re here too!”

“Heya Edward,” Cole chirped, flashing him a tired grin. “Sorry I lost you. But I found Giselle and figured staying put was the quickest way for everybody to find each other. And behold!” He threw his hands into the air. “Here we all are!” Vanitas watched as Cole suppressed a yawn behind a hand. “So early in the morning....”

Giselle drifted into the room. “Edward....” Vanitas felt his eyebrows rising. She sounded... sad, or at the very least reluctant. 

The ridiculously dressed man, Edward apparently, didn’t seem to notice. “Oh Giselle~!” He ran over to her and picked her up, spinning her around. Vanitas grimaced and pulled his pillow over his face again, hoping he could go back to sleep. He’d almost blocked the others out completely when he felt Cole move suddenly, and someone was shouting. Vanitas bolted upright, seeing Edward pressing his sword against Robert’s neck. Giselle said something to him and the prince merely responded with a barely phased ‘oh’ and put his sword away. The entire room seemed to sigh with relief. Cole sat back down on the couch, pulling his sock back on. 

It wasn’t much talking later that Giselle and Edward left. She’d talked him into having a date before they went home. Robert still looked frazzled by the whole sword to the throat thing, but he wandered off to do whatever. Vanitas didn’t particularly care. 

“So...,” Cole started, pulling his shoes on. “Guess that’s that then. No reason for us to stay any more....” He seemed to be thinking about something. 

Vanitas chewed his bottom lip, something still seemed off to him. “I guess.... But, no reason for us to leave either... at least not right now.” A thought occurred to him. He’d never gotten around to asking Giselle if she was hinting that.... He brushed the thought away. No way. “Uh....” Vanitas shifted, running a hand through his hair. “Saw something about a ball tonight....”

Cole tilted his head, eyes widening. “Oh...? Yeah. There was a table for it in the park yesterday.” There was an excited look in his eye that almost made Vanitas regret bringing it up, but not really. 

Vanitas tugged on a lock of his hair, looking away. “Yeah... I mean... it could be fun to... have a fun night before we move on to the next world.” He chewed the inside of his lip, suddenly wishing unversed would form just to take the feeling away. Then, the feeling vanished and Vanitas found himself staring into the deep red eyes of an unversed. He jumped backwards, falling against the couch. 

Cole reached out and pulled the thing into his arms. He petted its head, a small smile on his face. “That sounds like fun Vani. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a party...!”

Vanitas narrowed his eyes at Cole. “You were at Santa’s party just a couple days ago....” 

Cole snickered softly. “That was more like a... friendly gathering than a actual party....” 

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, looking at him skeptically. “Uh huh....” He tried to put as much sarcasm as his voice could hold into that. Cole snorted and grinned, shoving Vanitas’s shoulder. Vanitas shoved him back, stealing the unversed from his arms. The creature melted and reabsorbed into his hand. 

“Oh...!” Cole chirped. “You’re wearing your gloves from Santa...!” 

Vanitas looked down at his hands. Yeah, he was. He raised an eyebrow at Cole. “I’ve been wearing them since the Coliseum. They make it easier to hold my keyblade.”

Cole hummed, picking up his hand and examining it. “I didn’t notice before....” He had a soft smile on his face. “Aren’t they hot?! Your hands are super warm through these things!” 

Vanitas shook his head, looking down at his hand. “Must be magic.”

“Must be,” Cole agreed. He opened his hand a little, letting Vanitas take his hand back if he wanted to. Vanitas left it where it was. Cole lowered their hands to the couch, a soft smile on his face and... was that a blush?

Vanitas tilted his head, Giselle’s song from yesterday, the one that didn’t wake him up, echoed in his head. _“That’s how you know~! He’s your love~”_

“Do you love anyone?” Vanitas asked. That was dumb. Screw it. Might as well get it over and done with, despite the answer. He tried not to think about what the answer might be. He tried not to think about what he wanted it to be. 

Cole froze, eyes wide and slightly panicked. That was a resounding yes. Cole’s head snapped towards Vanitas. There was definitely a blush on his face, even starting to creep down his neck. “What... what brought this up?” He squeaked. 

Vanitas felt a smirk slide onto his face. Oh he enjoyed that expression way too much. Cole’s whole face was turning red now. “Donno~” Vanitas felt the smirk grow into a smug grin. “Do you?”

Cole looked like he was gonna hyperventilate. “Vani please. Not about this.” There was a kind of panic in his voice, one that pulled Vanitas out of the feeling of satisfaction. 

Vanitas dropped the smile, tilting his head. Cole was looking panicked now, almost scared. Suddenly he felt bad for teasing him. “Sorry....” He sat up a little straighter. 

Cole took a deep breath, looking down at his lap. “Geez.... Did... did Giselle... say anything...?”

Vanitas shook his head, his mind suddenly flashing back to the not so subtle looks and hits she’d pointed at him. “Nothing... explicitly.”

Cole dropped his head in his hands and groaned into them. “Uhhhhhh...!” He lifted his head slightly, though he still looked on the verge of a breakdown. “I’m so sorry Vani...!”

Vanitas blinked. That was not the reaction he was expecting. “Sorry...?” He hesitated, trying to figure out what Cole was sorry about. Sorry he knew? Sorry he hadn’t told him? “For... what?”

“For....” Cole hesitated, looking down at his hands. “For this I guess.... I’ve always developed crushes easily... but I’m usually better at keeping them a secret....”

Vanitas blinked, staring down at Cole in almost a daze. “So... you do like me...?” Cole didn’t look at him, just turning his head away and nodding. Vanitas blinked again, staring at the back of his head. “Why?” Why him? Why lo- why care about someone like him?

Cole let out a long breath, turning around enough to look over his shoulder at him. “Cause... you’re my friend and I really care about you.” He blushed a little, looking away. “And I can’t help but notice that you’re really cute....”

Vanitas blinked again. Cute? That was a new one. “Wh- I’m not cute...!” His face felt hot. Fuck, did that mean he was blushing too?!

Cole snickered slightly, covering his mouth. “Yeah you are.” He looked back at him, a small smile on his face, despite the nervous look in his eyes. “Or... attractive I guess...?” He scratched his cheek shyly, looking away. 

Vanitas tilted his head, something in his chest feeling lighter. “You guess...?”

Cole laughed nervously, not meeting his eyes. “Yeah... I guess....” He took a deep breath, exhaling all at once. “Look, I get it if you’re uncomfortable with it... and I really want to keep being your friend, so would it be fine if we just forget this whole conversation ever happened?” 

“No.” Vanitas surprised himself with how quickly he responded. Cole looked surprised too. “I don’t want to forget... I... damn I’m bad at this... I think I... like you too..... Damn it...! Why is this so hard...?! Feelings are fucking stupid!” He ruffled his own hair in irritation, looking up at Cole, who was staring at him with eyes the size of the moon. 

“You... you’re not mad...?” Cole asked, the sound of relief clear in his voice. 

“What...?! No! Of course I’m not mad! I....” Vanitas blinked, his head felt dizzy. What was he supposed to do? He didn’t know what to do. 

_“I want to go on a... a date.” Giselle had said when Edward tried to sweep her back to their world. “It’s where people get together and... just talk, about themselves, their likes and... dislikes.”_

That’d work. Vanitas gripped Cole’s hand tightly, pulling him closer. “Let’s...! Let’s go on a date...!” Cole’s whole face turned red. 

“A... a date...?” Cole squeaked. He looked about ready to explode. “A-a-are... I mean... do you really want to...?” He was blinking a lot. The warmth had returned to his eyes. 

Vanitas shrugged slightly, a small smile on his face. “I mean... it’s stuff we usually do anyways so....” He shrugged. 

Cole paused for a moment. “Yeah. You’re right. Nothing... nothing has to change... right...?” There was a hopeful look in his eyes. “I mean... yeah.”

Vanitas thought for a moment, tilting his head. “Yeah. We’re fine the way we are already.”

“There aren’t any rules or anything! We can just hang out! Cause we’re friends!”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. “It sounds suspiciously like you’re trying to get out of a date....”

Cole’s eyes widened, then he blushed. “Well... I mean... we don’t have to call it that.... Uh... unless you want to I guess...? Just... I’ve never been on a date before....” He refused to meet Vanitas’s eyes, watching his fingers intently as he nervously folded them against each other. 

Vanitas looked down at Cole’s hands as he twisted his fingers together. “Well... me either. At least not that I remember.” He tilted his head, leaning his shoulder against Cole’s. “I’m... alright with calling it a date... if you are.”

Cole nodded silently. A giggle rose from behind his hand a moment later. “So....” He looked back at Vanitas, a wide grin on his face and an excited sparkle in his eyes. Vanitas felt his heart flutter in his chest. “It’s a date then... and... that ball tonight...?”

Vanitas nodded slightly, feeling his face getting a little warmer. “Yeah... that... sounds like fun....” 

 

They ended up walking through the park they’d met at yesterday. Vanitas spotted the musicians from the song and dance. “If you start a magic singing whatever again, I’m dragging you out of it.”

Cole snickered softly. He hopped up on a small stone wall, walking along it. Vanitas offered his hand, just so he wouldn’t fall and crack his head open of course. “Couldn’t if I wanted to. I told you, princess’s songs remove the anxiety from it and make the song second nature. Otherwise I can only sing a song I’ve heard before.”

Vanitas blinked, raising an eyebrow at Cole. “Then, the song in Christmas Town was...?”

“From a movie I saw. I was a little surprised Santa didn’t call me out on it, but....” He shrugged, stepping off the wall. “Anyways~ Am I ever gonna hear you sing?” He had a hopeful smile on his face. 

Vanitas narrowed his eyes. “No.” He looked away and kept walking. 

Cole laughed, jogging to stay next to him. Their hands were still touching. Vanitas became acutely aware of that when Cole tugged on his glove, in a pestering kind of way. “Why nooooot~? It doesn’t have to be in public...!” He grinned up at Vanitas, light shining brightly in his eyes. 

Vanitas felt a flutter of emotions in his stomach, which he quickly suppressed. “I don’t sing. I’m not a singer.”

“I can teach you! We could sing together. It’d be fun!” Cole nudged Vanitas’s shoulder with his own, his big blue eyes sparkling with excitement. 

Vanitas was quiet for a long moment, staring down at Cole. “You look like a kitten.” Cole giggled and made a small sound. Vanitas raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I said~!” Cole snickered. “Mew!” Now he really looked like a cat. Vanitas wordlessly moved his arm away from Cole. Then as quick as a flash of darkness, he reached behind his head and yanked Cole’s hood over his head. “Ah! Hey!” Cole laughed, pulling the hood away from his eyes. He grinned up at Vanitas.

Vanitas smirked with satisfaction, turning on his heal to start strolling away. “What are you looking at me for?” He grinned as Cole ran into his shoulder, throwing his whole jacket over Vanitas’s head. “Hey!” He heard Cole laughing hard, practically gasping for breath between each bout of laughter. Vanitas yanked the jacket off his head, shooting a glare at Cole, who was laughing so hard his face was turning red. He was looking at a point just above his head. So, Vanitas followed his gaze and saw that his hair was sticking out at every angle. Stupid static electricity. Vanitas pulled the jacket on and yanked the hood down over his unruly hair. “This is mine now.”

Cole snorted, reaching out to brace himself against Vanitas’s shoulder as he got his breathing under control. Vanitas watched as Cole took deep breaths, steadying himself. Something had changed since the coliseum. They’d still been a little wary of each other then, but now... at least Cole didn’t seem to be holding anything back. Vanitas couldn’t exactly say the same about himself. But, there were some things he was just not going to talk about. 

Cole shook his head, taking several deep breaths as he finally got himself under control. “I’m... I’m sorry Vani... I-It’s just... there was a lot of static...!” He snickered softly, shaking his head. 

“I’m not taking this off until it’s gone,” Vanitas grumbled. Cole snickered again and gently pulled the hood down, smoothing out Vanitas’s hair until it wasn’t frizzy anymore. He giggled and tugged at his jacket. “Can I have my coat back please?”

Vanitas pointed down at the shirt he was wearing. “Not until you explain exactly what ‘Unicorn Bacon’ means.”

Cole looked down at his shirt and smirked. “Well... it’s rainbow colored. Ergo, unicorn bacon.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It’s not supposed to make sense. It’s a joke.”

“What’s so funny about it?” Vanitas raised an eyebrow. Cole shrugged, a grin spread across his face. 

 

Hours later, when the sun had long since set, they finally tracked down a moogle. They found the shopkeeper in a small courtyard garden, completely inaccessible except by keyblade wielders, since they’d had to unlock a /wall/ to get there. Cole crouched in front of the moogle and talked it through a couple ideas he’d come up with. Apparently the ‘Kings and Queens Ball’ was a dress up event, a fact Vanitas had apparently repressed. He was grumbling to himself, definitely not pouting as he scuffed his shoe against the dirt path. 

“Hey Vani,” Cole called back at him. Vanitas looked up and saw that Cole was already changed. “What do you think?”

The outfit itself was stunning, nearly all black with intricate red and silver stitching that looked like magic cast in front of a starry sky. The coat’s tail was replaced with a kind of silk material, a matching bright red sash tying it to his waist. The pants were a bit more form fitting than his jeans, but were neatly tucked into black and silver knee high boots. A small black choker hung loosely around his neck, dangling a crescent moon, with a small black heart inside, against his collarbone. There was something strange about him, almost unnaturally perfect. He didn’t look like Cole, not quite... He looked... otherworldly... ethereal. 

“Vani?” Cole chirped, tilting his head. “Do you like it?”

Vanitas nodded, slowly at first, then more assured. “Yeah... it looks good I guess...?” He scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t really....”

Cole laughed softly and the spell was broken. He was just Cole again, not some ethereal stranger wearing his face. “Thanks.” He grinned, then bent down and said something to the moogle, handing over the money. With that, he straightened up again and stepped aside. “Your turn Vani.”

Vanitas grumbled softly, one last half hearted attempt to show just how much he didn’t like the dress up part of this plan. But Cole simply smile and waved him on, drifting over to stand under a tree. Vanitas let out a puff of breath and crouched before the moogle. 

“Not much of a fashion person huh?” They mumbled, flipping through their stock on a tiny, semi transparent book. Vanitas tried very hard not to growl at the moogle. There might not be another one on this world. “That’s alright,” the moogle chirped, patting his head. “I got some simple steps for you.” Vanitas started mentally changing ‘Do not strangle the moogle.’ This was gonna be fun!

 

A few minutes later, Vanitas stood up, his legs half asleep. He checked the illusionary mirror the moogle conjured, twisting this way and that to examine the outfit from every angle. 

The suit he’d chosen was deceptively simple, a plain black piece with a dark red vest over it. A thin blue sash hung loosely from the off kilter belt loops cleverly disguised as silver chain decorations. His boots were shorter than Cole’s, barely reaching his shins, though his may have had more heal than his normal boots. He suddenly felt taller. He nervously tugged at the silver chain that hung at the base of his neck. Moogle had attempted to tame his hair as well, but only got so far before it refused to be controlled anymore. But at least it was brushed. 

Vanitas turned around, deciding that this looked nice enough for a ball, but was comfortable enough for him. “They’re keyblade wielded worthy too!” Moogle chirped. “They’re hard to tear and are somewhat magic resistant.”

Vanitas nodded numbly, unsure how to respond to that. “Do... do a lot of keyblade wielders wear this fancy stuff into battle...?” 

Moogle lowered their head sadly. “They used to. Good old days leave far too soon.” Then their head snapped up. “Aren’t you on a schedule?” 

Vanitas blinked, looking up at the sky. “Hey Cole!” He called. Cole turned away from the tree he was staring up into and Vanitas could have sworn he saw his eye get really big. “Are we gonna be late?”

Cole pulled his sleeve back, apparently wearing a watch. “Not if we hurry!” 

 

The ball was rather disappointing, if he was being truly honest. Cole didn’t seem to be enjoying himself either, judging by the deep scowl on his face. He was leaning heavily against the railing overlooking the dance floor, curled in on himself. Vanitas saw him muttering something to himself, but it was too quiet to hear from the way he was leaning back against the railing. He looked up at the ornately decorated ceiling. “I’ve seen better artwork....” 

“I know right...?” Cole muttered, looking back at him. “The Enchanted Castle called...! They’re gonna sue for copyright...!” Vanitas snorted, hiding a snicker as a couple other partygoers passed by. “The music’s not all that great either... the tempo keeps changing too much from song to song. I wanna find whoever put this program together and smack them...!” He straightened up, crossing his arms and leaning his hip against the balcony. “At least Robert looks like he’s having fun.” 

Vanitas blinked. Robert was here? He looked out onto the dance floor and saw Robert in a strikingly blue suit dancing with a woman who’s dress was more decorative add-ons than actual dress. “Yikes....” 

Cole nodded slightly, then raised his head. “Oh...! Is that Giselle?” Vanitas checked over his shoulder and saw a pretty woman with red hair stepping out of the elevator with Prince Edward. Cole let out a soft breath. “Why does she look so sad...?” Vanitas chewed the inside of his lip as he noticed it too. Her light wasn’t as bright. It hadn’t dimmed, just shining colder, almost like she was in pain. Robert and his... date apparently, went to meet Giselle and her... date. 

A voice softly echoed around the room. “And now, let us begin the Kings And Queen’s dance. We ask that the lords invite someone that he did not escort here tonight to join us on the dance floor.” Vanitas mentally cringed. No way in hell was he getting on a dance floor with some strange...! Cole’s hand appeared in his line of sight. 

“Well... technically, you didn’t escort me, and it was just a suggestion anyways. But... care for one dance?” Cole offered a warm smile with his hand. And that’s all it was, an offer. He could say no. If he’d wanted. Vanitas gently took Cole’s hand, letting him lead them down to a small open space of the dance floor, partly hidden behind one of the grand staircases. 

Vanitas let a smile slip onto his face. “Just one.” Cole’s face split into a grin as he stepped closer, showing Vanitas where to put his hands, one on his waist, one held in his hand. 

“I think... tonight has just enough magic... to make this easier,” Cole said in an almost whisper. “Just... no crazy spins or dips okay? I don’t wanna break my face.”

Vanitas huffed. “As if I’d let you.” Cole giggled softly, his eyes slipping shut as the music started. Vanitas let himself follow Cole’s rhythm, one foot here, the other there, a small turn of the hips now. Somehow, it was easy to follow, almost coming naturally. Then the singer began a hauntingly painful melody. 

“You’re in my arms~ and all the world is gone... the music playing on~ for only~ two... So close together... and when I’m with you... so close! To feeling alive~!” Vanitas felt the song cutting into his heart, as if the song was made specifically for this moment. It made his mind turn inward, almost divorced from his body as it moved nearly on its own. He watched Cole step away, do a small twirl, then step back in close. “All that I want is~ to hold you~ so close~!” Cole looked up at him, looking into his eyes, the red eyes of a monster, an abomination.... What did Cole see in them?

“So close! To reaching~ that famous happy end! Almost believing, this one’s not pretend~” How many times had he lost something? How close had he come to getting it back? Vanitas thought about Ventus and when they’d almost untied. He wouldn’t have been able to come back from that, would he? 

“And now you’re beside me! And look how far we’ve come~! So far~ we are~ so close~” Yes, how far had he come? He wouldn’t have ever met Cole, at least not as himself. This... this day, this moment, this feeling... they wouldn’t have existed if he became the X-blade, all those years ago. This was so far from what could have been, if he hadn’t failed. 

Cole lead him into a quick step pattern that had them turning and twisting tightly until they spun out, barely holding onto each other’s hands. Cole’s silk skirt flared out behind him, almost looking like a burst of magic cutting straight through him. Then Cole twirled back in, pressing his back against Vanitas’s chest, wrapping his arms around himself. But only for a moment. Cole spun again, so they were facing each other again. He looked like he was thinking. 

“Oh how~ could I face~ the faceless days~? If I should lose you now~!” Vanitas felt something rising in his chest. He hadn’t thought about that. They’d lost each other when they came to this world. They were lucky this time, that the worlds were connected. What if they lost each other again? He couldn’t imagine what would happen. He made up his mind at that moment. He was going to try something. “We’re so close~ to reaching! That famous happy end... almost believing~!” 

Vanitas leaned his head down and quietly sung the words in time with the singer. “This one’s not pretend...! Let’s go~ on dreaming~ for we know we are~! So close~ so close... and still... so far....” 

Cole looked up at him. And, as the music faded, Vanitas placed a shy, gentle kiss on Cole’s forehead. Vanitas closed his eyes. “I know you said nothing has to change... but this... this closeness... I think I found... a light that makes me better....” He took a deep breath, opening his eyes to see Cole’s deep blue eyes staring right back into his. “Would you... could you... be my light Cole...?”

Cole’s mouth opened, then closed as his lips twisted into a grin, even as his eyes watered. “Yeah.... Yeah I’d love to.” He nodded, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “Geez... never pegged you for a such sap...!” He grinned, poking Vanitas’s arm in a teasing way. Vanitas was about to retort with something snarky and equally teasing, but he saw Cole’s face twist into a look of horror. “Giselle don’t!” 

Vanitas’s head snapped around to look up at the level above them, just in time to see Giselle take a big bite of a too red apple. Not even a moment after the fruit passed her lips, she collapsed.

 

Giselle was dying. She was getting paler by the second, already looking grey. The queen, the witch that’d poisoned her, said that she had until midnight. Vanitas would have asked why the poison fruit had a magic “midnight kill switch” but it was magic, so he really didn’t want an explanation for that. The queen herself, dressed in greens and blacks, looked intimidating and dangerous even with the prince’s servant pressing a sword against her throat. 

“Is there anything we can do to save her?” Robert asked, looking rather pale himself. His lady friend was calling for some kind of medical care. But this world wasn’t equipped for magical emergencies. 

“Well...,” Cole started, “Magic sleep is usually dispelled by true love’s kiss right? It’s worth trying.” 

Edward seemed to cheer up immediately. “Yes! That is a brilliant idea Cole!” Cole looked a little embarrassed. Edward leaned in and pressed a kiss against Giselle’s lips. After a long moment, almost as if the room was holding its breath, nothing happened. Edward kissed her again, more frantically and again, nothing happened. Cole put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Edward looked up helplessly. Then he laid eyes on Robert. “You... you have to kiss her...!”

Robert suddenly got very pale. “No...! No! I...!”

“Oh just kiss her Robert!” His date said. She shook her head and smiled softly. “It’s alright.” 

Cole took a step back, nervously taking Vanitas’s hand. He was shaking, he was scared. Vanitas pulled him backwards, leaning against his shoulder. Robert knelt down next to Giselle, pressing a gently kiss against her lips just as the clock struck midnight. Vanitas felt Cole’s hand constrict around his. Then, a second later, the color returned to Giselle’s face and the world could breathe again. She sat up, letting Robert pull her into a hug. Edward and Robert’s date..., her name was... Nancy..., she was his fiancé Vanitas finally remembered, both looked away, broken hearted. 

Cole breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back against Vanitas. Vanitas rested his head on Cole’s shoulder, letting out a sigh of his own. That was a lot more excitement than he was expecting. He closed his eyes, then he heard the scream. 

The queen screamed with rage, throwing the man with the sword off of her. The sword flew across the room, burying itself in the ground. “You...!” The queen growled, pointing a finger at Giselle. “You shall never take my kingdom...!” She backed up onto the dance floor, the crowd of party guests giving her a wide berth. “Oh, how terrible it will be...! Poor Queen Narissa tried to save everyone, but a big scary monster came along and killed all of them....” Her eyes flashed and she threw back her head, letting out a cry as fiery magic flared up around her, obscuring her completely until a black dragon head slithered out of the flames. “I’m the only one here who’ll get their happy ending!”

Robert stepped in front of Giselle, shielding her from the dragon’s gaze. “Over my dead body.” He sounded a lot braver than he probably felt. 

The dragon considered him for a moment, then gave a half shrug. “Alright. I’m flexible.” With that, she grabbed him, yanking him off the ground. 

Cole grabbed Vanitas’s arm. “Look at her neck! She’s a heartless!” Vanitas saw what he was talking about. At the base of the dragon queen’s neck was a blackened heartless symbol. He looked at Cole and nodded, understanding his meaning. He extended his hand, feeling the strange, yet already comforting weight of Dark Heart in his hands. 

The dragon turned around, crashing her way out of the ballroom and climbing up the building. Giselle ran after her, yanking the sword out of the ground as she passed it. He was just about to follow her out onto the balcony when lesser heartless spawned behind her. 

Cole shouted at Giselle to be careful and summoned his dual keyblades. Then he turned to look up at Vanitas. “We need to take care of these heartless first, then we can go help Giselle!” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. 

Vanitas wasn’t going to argue, it was the best plan he could think of too. He shot Cole a confident smirk. “At least now I get to see you fight.” Cole blinked, then grinned up at him. He gave a sharp nod and sprinted towards the group of heartless that were surrounding several party guests. 

Even before he reached them, Cole was channeling a spell through Stars Align. Red energy crackled between the thin ribbons of the braided shaft, dancing like lightning. Cole pointed the magic towards the guests and released the magic. A bolt of red lightning shot out of his keyblade and surrounded the guests with a glowing red barrier. Without missing a beat, he raised Moonlight, a spell already gathering between the teeth. Several ribbons of light shot out from Moonlight like shooting stars, spreading several heartless in an instant. So, Cole was a spell-weaver huh? Vanitas chuckled as he leapt over the railing on to the dance floor. He should have figured that. 

Vanitas darted forward, bringing Dark Heart down to cleave a heartless in half as it leapt at him. He spun around, slicing through three more in a deadly arc. He grinned, feeling light as he used a larger heartless to launch himself into the air. He spun around and fired a piercing spell straight through a cluster of heartless. He landed heavily, boots skidding slightly against the smooth floor. 

He looked out at the remaining heartless, taking a quick note at how they were scattered. That’s when a thought hit him. There weren’t many heartless that had spawned to begin with. This horde was a lot smaller than usual. Why was that? Was the dragon queen just not powerful enough to summon more? Or... were they somewhere else?

Vanitas glanced towards the window, then to Cole. Another blast of magic that shredded the heartless burst from Moonlight. Cole danced his way through the half dozen remaining heartless to stand next to Vanitas. “You okay?”

Vanitas nodded. “Yeah... it’s just... there’s not as many as there should be....”

Cole let out a sharp breath. “You think? Twenty is pretty normal for my missions.” He shook his head slightly. “Let’s just finish and help Giselle.”

Vanitas waved his keyblade towards the heartless in an ‘after you’ gesture, smirking slightly. Cole snorted and pointed at each heartless in turn as they closed in on them. With a flash of blue magic and a wide swing of his Moonlight keyblade, the heartless burst into light. Cole nodded approvingly at himself, then looked back at Vanitas. He waved his keyblade towards the window in an ‘after you’ gesture, a smirk on his face. Vanitas couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he turned on his heal and raced out onto the balcony with Cole right behind him. 

 

The dragon was perched on top of the building’s lightning rod, another fifty feet up. Giselle was hanging onto the side of the roof, sword in hand as the dragon tried to swat her with her tail. Vanitas leapt onto the side of the building and started climbing, using his keyblade to get better holds. Cole was climbing too, on the other side of the windows. 

“Oh look!” The dragon queen squawked. “It’s the brave little princess! Shame you won’t have a happy ending.” She laughed and swung around the building’s spire. Robert screamed something, still clenched in her claw. 

Vanitas swung up to perch on a small out cropping, next to a smashed gargoyle. He caught sight of Cole doing the same as he shouted up to the princess. “Giselle!” The princess looked down at them and seemed to find her nerve. She threw herself upwards, stabbing the sword into the dragon’s tail. The dragon roared, dropping Robert. Giselle hurled the sword at him, somehow catching his sleeve and pinning him to the tower. The dragon’s claws slipped and she started falling towards Vanitas and Cole. 

Vanitas leaped upwards, feeling his heart, broken and incomplete as it was, pulling him in sync with Cole, who was mirroring his movements. One step, three, six, up the slope of the roof, keyblade in hand. Vanitas jumped to the side, bringing Dark Heart up in a deadly arc. A trail of darkness followed it, tracing out its course, intersecting with a startlingly silver trail from Dancing Moonlight. The two blades cut through the dragon shaped heartless like it was made of smoke. And as she fell down, past the edge of the roof, the darkness took her. She was gone before she even hit open sky. 

Vanitas settles himself against an ornate decoration, breathing a little harder than he probably should have been. He looked up, seeing Cole mirroring him from across the roof, a big grin splitting his face. He hefted Moonlight above his head, the keyblade glowing with a strong silver light that cast strange shadows across his face. Vanitas held up Dark Heart too, a relieved smile slipping onto his face. 

Then he heard screaming. His head snapped upwards, seeing Giselle and Robert sliding down the roof at an alarming speed. Before he could move, Cole launched himself out to grab them, catching hold of Giselle’s wrist and jamming Moonlight into the roof, slowing them to a stop just before Robert’s feet went over the side of the roof. Vanitas sighed softly, more carefully working his way back down the roof. He had no doubt that Cole could catch himself, or at least land safely. But with two full grown adults? Neither with a keyblade of their own? That’d be much more difficult. So, he was, of course, the slightest bit relieved. 

 

After they’d gotten everybody safely back in the ballroom, Vanitas watching as Edward ran off with Nancy, each giggling like lovestruck teenagers, Cole approached him, taking careful steps. Vanitas looked down at him, not bothering to fight off the smile that crept onto his face. “Hey,” he said, inclining his head slightly. 

“Hey...,” Cole said back, an apprehensive tone in his voice. “Um... about before... did you really mean all that...?” He sounded very nervous, even more than when they’d talked about /maybe/ liking each other before. The look on his face... he was close to heartbreak. 

Something finally clicked in Vanitas’s mind. Cole had expected him to be mad when he’d confessed about his feelings. He’d tried to brush his own feelings off as unimportant, so Vanitas wouldn’t be uncomfortable. Vanitas remembered how hard it was for him to trust people, even how long it had taken him to trust Cole, weeks before he’d even taken off his helmet. Then, the realization, someone had hurt Cole before, broken his heart, broken his trust. He’d said he knew people worse than Vanitas. He’d probably meant it. 

Something in Vanitas’s chest caught fire, a burning rage that demanded satisfaction. Instead, he quelled it, patience... there was a time for this. So, meaningfully, he leaned closer, so his face was close to Cole’s. “If I hadn’t meant it, I wouldn’t have said it. I mean the things I say. Always. Okay?” 

Cole’s eyes widened a little bit. He sort of stumbled over his breath, his face looking a little flushed. He gave a small nod, a sliver of a smile on his lips. “Okay....”

Vanitas put his hand on Cole’s head, a small smile on his face. “So... you said yes to it before. So from now on you’re my light. And I’m your darkness.”

Cole snickered a little bit, tilting his head against Vanitas’s hand. “Ohh~ My dark knight. So sweet.” He patted the back of Vanitas’s hand.

Vanitas rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Alright alright. Can we leave yet? The PDA over there is making me sick.” He jabbed his finger towards the couches by the elevator. 

Cole looked over and gave a awkward grin as he saw Robert and Giselle sitting /very/ close to each other. “Yeah.... I think we’re done here.” He gave a soft sigh. “I liked this world though.... It felt a little like the one I’m from, but... brighter... and with more singing.” He giggled softly, tilting his head. 

Vanitas looked down at him, suddenly curious. His home world? There was a different tone in his voice then when he talked about his lost friends, almost a bitterness. He filed that away for later. He was going to find a time to dredge everything about his past out of him. Vanitas wondered about his home. Where had he come from? Was it a world he’d been to since he became Vanitas? He’d have recognized it if he did... right? 

Vanitas shook his head and raised his arm, summoning a corridor behind them. “Let’s go, before they get even worse,” he grumbled, glancing towards Giselle and Robert. 

Cole snickered, raising his hands in a mocking defensive stance. “Alright alright, not an affection kinda guy. I get it.” He giggle and called across the room. “Hey! Giselle! Robert! Good bye! Say bye to the others for us okay?!” He waved his arm and hopped backwards, spinning on his heal and trotting into the doorway. Vanitas didn’t suppress the smile as he followed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha! So much mushy fluff~ =^w^= hope y’all enjoyed~
> 
> I don’t know which world I’m gonna do next, maybe put a buffer between the super fluffy chapters, or do the one I’m thinking of right away, either way it’d be Cole’s perspective for this one... =3=
> 
> So I have a couple ideas for Cole’s next two chapters, then one for Vani’s next one. But I Donno if I wanna put idea M in this round for Cole, or the next one. HMMMMMM >3<


	11. Destiny Islands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning**  
>  Okay dear readers! This is where the M rating comes in full force. There are some parts below that may not sit well with everybody. So! If you are sensitive to abuse, attempted suicide, and or suicidal thoughts, be careful when it gets to the italicized text. 
> 
> There is a part of it that you should read though, so when you see the single line that is not italasized and is bolded, that’s where almost all of it has passed. And that’s where you should come back in. 
> 
> No shame if you have to skip that part, it was honestly hard for me to even write it. But you know yourself best, so stay safe. And enjoy!

As Cole stepped out into the light, he bit back a disgruntled groan, raising his hand to shield his eyes. It was really bright here, and obviously day time. The next thing he noticed was the sounds. Waves roared lowly as they crashed onto sand, birds squawked as they flew overhead, and somebody was laughing and splashing not too far away. Then he felt the warmth of the sun, the sand that had already, somehow, gotten into his boots, and coolness of the breeze that blew in from the ocean. Already, Cole decided he liked this world. It was beautiful, the waves sparkling with the deepest blue, the sky, dotted with clouds, blurring with the edges of the ocean on the horizon. It was a pretty world. 

Then, Vanitas grabbed his wrist, almost too tightly. Cole looked back at him, seeing a look on his face that he could only describe as horrified. His eyes were unfocused and darting around, and he was shaking, so badly he nearly lost his grip on Cole. “Vani...?!” Cole’s other hand shot out, grabbing Vanitas’s shoulder and yanking on it so they were face to face, almost nose to nose. “Vani look at me. Look at me. I’m right here. You’re okay.” 

Vanitas’s brilliant red eyes locked with Cole’s, his pupils contracted so much they were almost hard to see. Then, slowly, Vanitas stopped shaking. His eyes refocused. And slowly, he calmed down. “I....” His voice cracked. 

Cole moved his hand up to cup the side of Vanitas’s head. “It’s okay. Take your time. You’re okay.” Vanitas nodded slightly, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Cole’s hand as he took several deep breaths. 

“I’m... I’m okay now.” He let out a long sigh, opening his eyes to look back into Cole’s. “I just... got scared.”

Cole tilted his head slightly, threading his fingers through Vanitas’s hair. He relaxed against his hand even more, letting his hand slip down so he was holding onto Cole’s fingers instead of his wrist. “Do you want to leave?” Cole asked softly. Vanitas shook his head no. “Do you want to talk about it? Or sit down somewhere?”

Vanitas nodded slightly, letting out another sigh. “Somewhere... shady.... I’m already hot....” He grumbled that last part indignantly, making Cole giggle. 

“Sure thing,” Cole snickered. “Maybe... we should change...?” He looked down at the fancy suits they were still wearing. “Not exactly beach attire huh?” Vanitas shook his head slightly, looking down at his own suit. 

 

About five minutes later, Cole leaned back against a wooden wall, one that held the sand into a second story, a good ten feet tall. It was pretty impressive honestly, Cole had to wonder how it was made. He wasn’t too concerned though. Now that he was dressed more appropriately, in loose grey shorts that fell almost to his knees and a dark blue tank top he’d dredged up from the bottom of his outfit storage, and no shoes of course, Cole felt less out of place. Shame he didn’t have any flip flops or sandals. A couple teenagers ran past them, a boy with red hair, a boy with blond hair, and a girl with brown hair, but they didn’t seem to notice Vanitas or Cole. 

Vanitas was, more or less, hiding behind Cole. He was pressed up against the wooden wall, somehow worming his shoulder between Cole’s back and the wall. Cole looked back at him, smiling softly. Vanitas looked a little like a goth beachwear model, which Cole found extremely amusing. He was dressed in a sleeveless hoodie, apparently shirtless under that, with the hood pulled low over his face, and black shorts that hugged his legs without being too tight, and of course, no shoes. 

Vanitas raised his head slightly, bright red eyes peering out from under the hood to look at Cole. Cole smiled softly, pressing his shoulder against Vanitas’s. “You... wanted to talk about it?” 

Vanitas sighed loudly, leaning his head back against the wall. “I’ve... been here before... sort of,” he said softly, after a long moment of silence. 

Cole tilted his head. “Sort of?” That was interesting. 

Vanitas gritted his teeth, waving his hand around. “Yeah...! I mean... it’s hard to explain....” He sighed, looking down at his feet as he burrowed them into the sand. “It’s... a bit of a long story....” He leaned his head back, looking up at the sky. “My Master... he had me fight my light.... He was trying to get us to forge a special keyblade... so he needed a clash or equal parts of light and darkness. But... my light refused to give in.... He fought me and he won. In the process his heart... our combined hearts were shattered. I almost disappeared... but then he... he returned to Sora....”

“Because Sora healed his heart before right?” Cole asked. He remembered Vanitas telling him that before. 

Vanitas nodded slightly. “Yeah... and... my light pulled the shattered pieces of my heart along with him. So I was trapped inside Sora’s heart with him.”

Cole bit his lip, a twinge of ‘oh dear’ nervousness ripples through his chest. Vanitas grit his teeth, his hand finding Cole’s and holding it tightly. Cole gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Vanitas took another deep breath. “Sora lives here. This is his world. And... for a second... I thought I was trapped in his heart again....”

Cole dropped his head on Vanitas’s shoulder, feeling him jump slightly. “I’m sorry Vani...,” he mumbled softly, pressing his face into his shoulder. Vani was really warm, even more than the beach. 

Vanitas scoffed, his head dropping on top of Cole’s. “Why the hell are you sorry...?” There was a note of humor in his voice. 

“Because you’re hurting... and I don’t know how to fix it....” Cole let out a sigh, tightening his grip on Vanitas’s hand. 

Vanitas chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You’re doing a pretty good job for someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.” Cole tilted his head so he could look up at Vanitas, finding him smiling down at him. “You help... a lot....” 

Cole smiled softly, pressing his head against Vanitas’s neck. “So do you....”

Cole felt Vanitas press a soft kiss against his temple, right before he shrugged him off. “Okay! Enough mushy stuff!” He leapt to his feet, digging them out f the sand. “There’s no reason to just sit around all day! Let’s have fun!” He flashed a grin at Cole, hands on his hips. 

Cole leapt to his feet, a grin leaping to his face as well. “Yeah! Beach day!” 

Vanitas smirked confidently. “Race you to the water.” And he took off across the sand. 

Cole’s eyes went wide as he leapt after him. “Hey! No fair! Vani...!” But he couldn’t help the grin on his face. 

 

They sat on a crooked tree as they watched the sun set. The sky turned a bright orange as the sea glittered with a dark blue that seemed to foretell the coming night sky. It’d been so long since Cole had been to the beach. He tried wringing out his shirt again, hoping to squeeze more seawater out of it. It was mostly dry now, but it still clung to his stomach like a... well, like a wet shirt. And now that it was drying the salt was making it wrinkle funny. It was uncomfortable, but Cole couldn’t bring himself to mind. He sat perched on the tree trunk that grew out sideways, with Vanitas sitting a little above him. He still looked a little uneasy. Cole leaned forward to look him in the face as he talked, but his eye caught sight of something bright yellow in the shadows of the tree’s leaves. 

“What’s that?” He didn’t really mean to say that out loud. 

Vanitas blinked, turning to look. “Oh.... It’s... a paopu fruit. They’re the signature fruit of these islands.” Vanitas turned back to look at Cole. “They’re supposably magic or something. There’s a legend or folktale or whatever that....” He leaned back a little, looking up at the darkening orange sky. “If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They’ll remain a part of each other’s lives no matter what.” He gave a shrug. “That’s the legend at least....”

Cole hummed, eyes drifting back to the fruit. That... sounded nice actually.... But... what if one of them changed their mind? How often would that lead to regret? Then, speaking out loud by accident again, Cole mumbled, “Wonder what it tastes like....” He But his tongue in retaliation. How dare it speak on its own. 

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. It was getting hard to see under his hood with the fading light. Then, he turned, swinging his feet up onto the tree, and started crawling up it. 

Cole felt his face pale. “Ah...! Uh... Vani wait...! ummmm...!” He watched helplessly as Vanitas expertly climbed up the tree, leaning out over the water. He wrestled a fruit free, then slid back down the tree, looking a little like a disgraced koala. Cole flushed a little as Vanitas pushed the fruit into his hands, swinging his legs back around to dangle over the side of the tree. 

“Umm.... thanks... Vani.” Cole felt his face getting warmer. He glanced towards him, watching Vanitas push his hood off his head. He... looked really good. He was... really pretty. Cole shoved the thoughts away, feeling like his face was on fire. He hoped the color of the light from the setting sun was obscuring the blush on his face. 

Cole examined the fruit. Look just at the fruit. Don’t think embarrassing things. Don’t think about Vani- Fruit damnit! The fruit was star shaped, with two leafy tufts coming off two of the points, and opposite those, was where it had been attached to the tree. “It looks like a shooting star...,” he mused. He held it up to the sky, making a whooshing sound as he trailed it across the sky. 

Vanitas made a sound that sounded like a snort of laughter mixed with a sigh. “Stop playing with it....” He shook his head, but Cole saw the signs of a suppressed smile on his lips. His... lips.... Fruit!

Cole snapped his head back to the fruit, turning it over in his hand. He wasn’t sure how to peel it. So, he took one of the pointed arms in his hand and snapped it clean off. Oh. Apparently that was how you did it. He examined the inside of it. It was porous, looking a little like a bread roll. There wasn’t really any skin on it, or any way to peel it more. There was a vague citrus scent to it, but also a hint of saltiness and something sweet. Cole gave a soft hum and took a bite. 

He swallowed it, smacking his lips as his face contorted into something that wasn’t entirely sure what it felt. Cole coughed, his mouth suddenly very dry. “It tastes....” He shook his head, feeling like he’d just swallowed a sour candy whole. “It tastes... like lemon rind....” He cleared his throat. “It’s not bad... but... wow that has a kick to it.” He took a deep breath, leaning back a little as his sinuses suddenly cleared. “That’s... certainly unique....”

Vanitas leaned in a little, examining the broken off piece in Cole’s hand. Then, he took another of the fruits arm and snapped it off. Cole blinked. But... the legend thing.... Did Vani not believe it or...? Nope! No way! Cole shoved the piece of fruit back into his mouth, taking another bite just as Vanitas took a bite of his. 

Cole nearly choked as liquid filled his mouth. He heard himself make a weird slorping sound, leaning forward as juice ran down his chin. Vanitas made a slurping sound as he pulled the fruit out of his mouth. Cole looked down at his piece of fruit, seeing that the entire inside had transformed into, essentially, a cup of juice. Cole felt a wave of giddiness and shock rise inside him. He looked over at Vanitas, finding that he was looking back at him. “Magic fruit...,” Cole murmured as a wide grin spread across his face. 

“Magic fruit,” Vanitas agreed. His face broke into a gleeful smile a moment later too. He looked down at his fruit cup of juice and threw his head back, downing the rest of it. 

Cole felt like there were butterflies in his stomach. Was this Vani’s way of saying he wanted to stay together forever? Well... he had asked Cole to be his light after all.... Cole smiled down at the fruit in his hand. He grinned as he drank the rest of the juice. 

The sun finally dipped below the horizon, allowing the stars to come out in droves. Cole gasped softly as he watched the sky suddenly come alive with lights. “Wow...!” He felt Vanitas lean against his shoulder. Cole glanced over at him, feeling himself blushing again. He forced himself to look back at the sky. It wasn’t quite as pretty, compared to the reflection of it in Vanitas’s eyes. 

After a long, quiet moment, Vanitas sat up slightly. “Have you ever dated someone before?”

Cole felt his insides freeze. “Uhh... no...?” He pushed the sudden uneasy feeling down. “I thought... I told you that.”

Vanitas blinked, then nodded slightly. “Did you... ever want to?” He was looking at Cole with those bright red eyes, shining even in the dark of night, which was very much not helping the situation. 

“Well uh.... Once I guess...?” Cole looked back at the ocean, scratching his cheek. “It was uh... a long time ago though.... Before...,” He trailed off. Was that really something he wanted to say? He had no idea how Vanitas would react. But... that didn’t matter now. It was in the past he’d left behind. “That was before I became a keyblade wielder. So, years ago!” He waved his hand, suddenly very aware of just how long it’d been. 

“What was stopping you?” Vanitas leaned closer. Why was he so gorgeous... persistent! He was persistent. Damn it Cole! Keep your heart under control! But... what was it Vani said? What stopped him from dating...?

Cole let out a soft sigh, all the coiled emotions suddenly draining away as a memory rose to the surface of his mind. “Well... when I confessed to him... about everything, he tried to punch me in the face.”

Vanitas’s eyes suddenly got wide and he grabbed Cole by the shoulders, turning him to stare at his face. “What?!”

A nervous laugh escaped Cole’s lips. “Aha...! It’s fine Vani. It was a long time ago.... Besides, he didn’t even hit me. I’m too fast!” Cole laughed softly. Vanitas didn’t. 

“Why would he try to punch you?” Vanitas’s tone was deathly serious. A shiver ran up Cole’s spine. There was something in Vanitas’s eyes, hidden under a veil of red. 

Cole gave another nervous laugh. “Well uh....” He looked away. He couldn’t meet Vani’s eyes. “People like me... weren’t exactly... um...! He did not like the fact that I liked boys, or that I was a boy.” Cole grinned, really wanting to drop the topic. 

Vanitas’s fingers shifted on his shoulders. “So he tried to punch you...?” There was a small bit of sadness in that deadly growl. 

“Well... yeah! It’s... it’s not a big deal Vani. I got over all of that years ago. No need for you to get upset about it now.”

“...all of that...?” 

Oops. 

Cole felt Vanitas’s grip on his shoulders tighten a little more. “Vani...! It’s okay...! Really. My... my world is gone now.... It was swallowed by the darkness.... There’s nothing to do about it now.” 

Vanitas hesitated. “Actually.... It’s probably back now.” He sounded disappointed about that. “When... Something Sora did restored all the worlds that were swallowed by darkness. Almost three years ago now.”

Cole felt his eye twitch. A sudden wave of loathing and fear welled up inside him. “Well... that’s great! Let’s never go there!” He felt a wide grin on his face. “Please. Let’s not.” He felt the other emotions fall away as a deep seated panic gripped his core. 

Vanitas’s eyes narrowed. Then he sighed softly, leaning back against the tree. “Alright.” He stared up at the stars silently for a long time. 

Cole let out a soft sigh, zoning out, just listening to the sound of the waves against the beach. “Do you remember what your home was like...?” He asked softly, breaking the silence. 

There was another long pause, then a soft, “No. I don’t. I don’t remember anything before being separated from... my light.”

Cole hummed softly, tilting his head. “Why don’t you ever say his name?” There was another long silence. “You don’t have to answer that....”

Vanitas sat up, looking out across the ocean. “Because I... I despise him.” He gave a soft sigh, then leaned against Cole’s shoulders. He pulled Cole’s hand into his lap and started playing with his fingers and tracing the lines of his palm. “I told you... he still has my name... and my face... and my body even!”

Cole blinked, looking over at him. “Your body...?”

Vanitas shot a half hearted glare up at him. “Yeah. It happens to be attached to my face...!”

Cole stifled a snort. But wasn’t able to stop the string of soft giggles. “Ah... right....”

Vanitas looked back down at Cole’s hand. “This body I have now was created out of darkness... to shelter my broken mess of a heart.”

Cole tilted his head a little. “What a coincidence... this isn’t my original body either.” He curled his fingers around Vanitas’s hand. “I lost that one when my world fell. This body I have now was created to shelter my heart. So I like it better.” Cole’s free hand drifted up to press against his chest, broad and (sort of) muscular, feeling the flutter of his heart inside. 

Vanitas raised his head, staring up at him like he was expecting to find some sign of deceit. There wasn’t any to find. Cole smiled down at him, grinning softly. “You... how...?” His hand tightened around Cole’s. “How did you lose your body...?”

“Heartless.” Cole shrugged one shoulder. “At least I guess that’s what it was. When I woke up in my heart, with my keyblade.... I already looked like this. I can’t tell you how relieved I was... to finally have a body that suited me....” A cold shiver ran up his back as Cole realized what he’d just said. He looked down at Vanitas, half expecting some kind of realization. There wasn’t one, at least that he could see. 

“What do you mean...?” Vanitas’s voice was soft and gentle, more so than Cole had ever heard from him before. “What do you mean by ‘suited you’?” 

Cole felt like he’d swallowed a very big rock. He let out a long sigh, gently pulling his hand out of Vanitas’s. He squeezed his eyes shut and grinned his teeth. “Vani.... There’s... there’s something about me.... Damn! I wish I could just forget it but... it’d hardly be fair not to tell you.... Vani... I....” He had to tell him. It wouldn’t be fair to ask so many questions about him and not answer any about himself. Even if it was painful, even if it was a time he’d rather forget, he had to come clean. 

Cole’s eyes snapped open and suddenly he was back there again, in the world he’d fled, the world where he should have died. 

_  
Looking down over the cliff, onto the rocky floor below, there was a moment of hesitation. Caroline Maywether was scared. She was scared of what would happen, scared of how much it would hurt, scared that she’d back down. Then, she thought about returning to that house, too small for a family with two teenagers, too small to include... Caroline... and what she was._

_“Abomination!” Mom had shrieked, as the china plate sailed across the kitchen and smashed into the wall beside Caroline’s head. “I wish you’d never been born you fucking freak of nature!”_

_The house was silent, other than the ringing of the screaming. Caroline hung her head, biting back agony as she whispered, “Me too.” She’d left after that. Passing Dad, who hadn’t even looked up from his gardening. And she passed her little sister, dear sweet /perfect/ Katie, who was playing with her friends with water guns and water balloons in the backyard, trying to fight off the summer heat. “Goodbye Kate. Be good,” Caroline had said to her as she passed. Katie only paused a second to watch Caroline disappear into the forest that bordered their yard._

_Caroline steeled her nerves against the aching in her chest. She pulled the note out of her pocket, flipping it open as she read it over one last time._

_“To my family, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the daughter you wanted. I’m sorry I couldn’t just keep quiet. And I’m sorry I have to leave. I can’t go back to pretending that I’m someone I’m not. Even if it kills me. I have given up on this life. I’ve tried to make this work in a way that would make us all happy. But this is the best solution I’ve come up with. If we all can’t be happy, at least you all can be._

_Best wishes from the next world,_  
Sincerely,  
Cole Maywether.” 

_Cole bit his lip, no turning back now. He’d written his own death sentence, and signed it. Cole felt his arms shaking as he folded the letter back up, putting it back in its envelope, and stuffing it in his back pocket._

_There was a breeze blowing, rustling the dark green canopy of leaves around him. There were birds singing, but their voices came from far away. Cole took a deep breath and put his hand on the tree that grew over the side of the cliff. He looked up at the gnarled branches that stuck out every which way. Ever so slowly, he put his foot on the outermost tree root, standing on it as he leaned over the cliff. His fingers left the trunk, leaving him to balance on the root._

_There was a moment, just as he started to lean forward, out over the ground thirty deadly feet below, the world seemed to stop, almost as if it was holding its breath. The wind froze in place and the birds stopped singing, creating a vacuum of sound that Cole’s heartbeat rose to fill._

__**Then there was a scream.**  
_  
Cole’s hand shot out, grabbing a branch of the tree as he stopped himself, twisting towards the source of the sound. The screaming continued, the voices of two small children completely filled with terror echoing through the trees. Without even thinking, Cole swung himself around, landing on solid ground in a run. He didn’t notice the envelope slipping out of his back pocket, fluttering to the ground where it got caught in the tree roots._

_The screaming was well warranted, Cole thought as he finally saw what the children were screaming about. The two of them, the Henderson twins Jamie and Jasmine, were running away from a massive swarm of monsters. Individually, the monsters weren’t too big, maybe hip high if they stood up straight, but they’d joined together in a whirling mass of at least a hundred creatures. Glowing orange eyes peered out from the black mass of monsters, swirling in the air before crashing downwards. Jamie saw them coming, leaping straight into Jasmine and knocking them just far enough away so they weren’t consumed by the horde of monsters. Cole ran over to them as the monsters regrouped, flying up into the air to come around for another attack._

_“Jamie! Jasmine! Are you two okay?” Cole knelt next to them, yanking both ten year olds to their feet. Jasmine sniffed, nodding as she grabbed Jamie’s hand. Cole took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll distract that thing. You two run back home, get help okay?”_

_“But...!” Jamie squeaked, rubbing dirt off his cheek. “What about you?”_

_“I’ll be fine. I’ll lead... that away and try to get home too. You guys just worry about each other. And go get help!” Cole patted both of their heads, leaping to his feet and running to the side. He ripped a loose stick out of a bush and chucked it at the swirling mass of monsters. “Hey! Over here!”_

_The horde turned towards him, all at once every eye locked on Cole. He swallowed thickly, turned on his heel and ran into the forest. The mass of monsters followed, crashing through trees with little effort. Cole wasn’t even running towards his house. He wasn’t sure where he was going, just away. As he ran, Cole felt his chest growing tighter, whether it was the compression of his undergarments or the lack of air, he wasn’t sure. But he kept running. He had to. Or else he’d die._

_“But didn’t you want to die? Wasn’t that why you came out here? To die?”_

_Cole grit his teeth as he suddenly changed direction, bouncing off a tree that the horde plowed into a second later._

_“Why are you running? You wanted to die. Now, all you have to do... is nothing! You don’t even have to take that step.”_

_Cole turned a wrong corner and saw that he’d ended up at the bottom of the cliff. The gnarled tree with its out cropping roots leaned over the edge of the cliff, thirty feet above. The horde was almost upon him now. Cole felt a tear trace down his cheek._

_Cole felt his voice shake and crack as he spoke. “You know...? For some reason... all of a sudden, I don’t really want to die. I just... I wanted to be me.... That’s all.”_

_And the shadows consumed him.  
_

Cole felt a sob escape him. He was back on the beach, overlooking the inky ocean reflecting the starry sky. He looked back at Vanitas, forcing a weak smile on his face. “Vani I... I was born a girl.” 

Vanitas blinked, eyes widening a little. His mouth opened and closed a little, then he looked down at his lap, a dumbstruck look on his face. 

Cole didn’t wait for him to respond. He slipped off the tree, taking a couple steps away. “My family hated me for...” He gestured down at himself. “For being this in my heart. When I lost my body and got this one, it was like a miracle. I got a chance to start over, make a new life as ‘Cole.’ But... it took a long time before I stopped thinking about how I was ‘an abomination’ and ‘a freak of nature’....”

Cole extended his left hand, calling Stars Align to him. She appeared, dropping into his palm. He held it loosely, feeling the comforting touch of a friend. “Stella’s the one who finally broke through to me. She refused to take any of my crap. She even started hitting me with Stars until I stopped talking bad about myself.” Cole smiled a little at the memory. Stella was so scary when she was mad, especially at him. “It took a lot of time... and effort. Both on my part and from my friends. But... I started loving myself, loving being me... with them.” 

Cole looked up at the sky. He wouldn’t turn around. “I... I should have told you sooner.... Sorry.” He lifted Stars above his head and dispelled her, the particles of light looked like shooting stars. “I... I really hope you’re not too mad at me.... And...” Cole felt his voice catch in his throat. Damn, he really wished he’d done this sooner. There would have been less riding on it then. But after the confession... and Vani asking him to be his light... and the ‘destiny intertwining’ fruit... there was so much they’d already built. Cole wasn’t sure if he could handle all of that crumbling all at once. But it wasn’t his decision anymore. 

“And I hope you won’t stop being my... friend... after this....” That was everything he could do. It wasn’t his decision anymore. Cole felt the space between his shoulder blades start tingling. He didn’t turn around. He wouldn’t unless Vani asked. He felt Vanitas getting closer. Even as his instincts screamed at him to turn around, prepare to defend himself, Cole stayed still. 

A pair of arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a warm embrace. Vanitas pressed his face against Cole’s neck. Cole felt something wet there. Was he crying?! Why was Vani crying?! “Why the hell did you think I’d give a fuck?!” Vanitas roared, pressing his face against Cole’s neck even more and hugging him tighter. There was a moment of silence, then he spoke again. “Honestly.... You know I was a faceless shadow monster with less than half a heart when I was born. Why the hell would I care that you were born a girl?” He huffed and moved his head, dropping his chin on Cole’s shoulder. “Well?”

Cole felt a warmth spread across him, burrowing into his heart. He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “I donno!” He grinned as tears started running down his cheeks. “Ah... oh gosh...! Ah! Tissue...!” He sniffed, reaching for his pockets. “Uh... Vani...? I can’t move my arms....” 

Vanitas huffed, not moving at all. Cole’s arms were pinned to his sides under Vanitas’s embrace. He side eyed Cole, blinking slowly. “I’m not moving.”

Cole felt his lips twist back into a smile. “Really Vani...? There is snot very close to running down my face. I just wanna blow my nose.”

Vanitas ignored him and pressed his face back against Cole’s neck. “Not. Moving.” 

Cole sputtered, sniffing hard. “Vani please...! Just one hand...?”

“Tired...,” Vanitas mumbled against his neck. 

“Then sit down...! And let me blow my nose!” Cole squirmed his arm. He didn’t really want to break the hug, but he didn’t want to snot Vanitas either, or himself for that matter. 

Vanitas grumbled softly and walked backwards, pulling Cole with him. He sat down against the tree trunk, leaning back against it. Then, finally, he let Cole move his arms. Cole blew his nose and summoned a small flame to burn the used tissue. He sighed softly and leaned back. Vanitas wrapped his arms around Cole’s shoulders and pulled him into his lap, his legs on either side of him. 

Cole gave a soft, satisfied sigh, laying his head on Vanitas’s shoulder. He turned his head a little, smiling up at Vanitas. “You’re sweet. And warm.”

Vanitas scoffed softly, laying his head on top of Cole’s. “You’re soft. ...and comforting.”

Cole giggled softly. “Glad you think so. I try very hard to be both.” He draped his arms over top of Vanitas’s legs, curling them under his knees in a loose hold. 

Vanitas hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t think so. I think you’re soft because you know how hard people can be. And I think you’re comforting because you know what it’s like to hurt, to be lost.”

Cole laughed softly. “You think so huh?” He felt so tired all of a sudden, probably because he’d been crying so much. “Maybe you’re right.” He glanced upwards, but nestled deeper against his chest. “I think you’re guarded because you know what it feels like when someone hurts you. And so you’re slow to trust, because you don’t know how much more hurt you can stand. And I think you feel like you always have to be the strongest wherever you go, because if you’re the strongest, then no one can hurt you.”

Vanitas moved his head off of Cole’s, leaning down to look him in the face. “Who the hell made you psychic...?” He breathed. 

Cole smiled softly. “Nobody. I just know a couple people who happen to be a lot like you.” He patted Vanitas’s cheek softly. “But don’t worry. You’re only easy to read cause I know how. To everyone else, you’re probably the same snarky grim-dark badass you’ve always been.”

Vanitas huffed out a laugh. He buried his face in Cole’s hair. Cole felt him take a deep breath, then relax under him. “Not sure anybody’s ever saw me as a badass before....”

“You definitely are. You’re plenty strong Vani. Just know... you don’t have to be invincible.... I’ll have your back from now on... if you’ll have me....” Cole felt himself starting to slip into sleep. 

Vanitas chuckled softly. “Of course I will...! You’re my light now... and my...?” 

Cole didn’t hear that last part, but he hummed an affirmation and nodded. “Hmm.... Vani... did I ever tell you... you make me less scared... especially to fall asleep....” And with that, Cole slipped under the surface and fell asleep.

 

Cole woke up not long after the sun rose, the light dancing across his eyelashes until he begrudgingly opened them. He rubbed his eyes, wincing as he accidentally scraped sand across his eyelid. He brushed it off and tried again, giving a huge yawn. Then he noticed that he was alone on the beach. He wasn’t even sitting against the tree anymore, propped against the stone of the island’s center. Cole looked around, but couldn’t find Vanitas anywhere. He staggered to his feet, noticing that he was back in his hoodie... no, that was Vanitas’s sleeveless hoodie, neatly adjusted around him. A small squeak by his feet caught his attention. 

Looking down, Cole saw a small creature, about the size of a large house cat. It was a light blue color with molded grey markings and brilliant red eyes that practically glowed in the shadows. “Oh...!” Cole gasped softly. “You’re one of Vani’s uhh... unversed right?” The creature gave a high pitched bark...? And a quick nod of its head made Cole mostly sure he was right. Cole bent down and gingerly lifted the creature into his arms. It nestled up against his chest, purring contently, reaffirming Cole’s precious theory that the unversed were indeed... basically weird cats. 

“Don’t suppose you know where Vani is, do you?” Cole looked down at the unversed. It was... really cute, with a long snout, long, thin limbs and vaguely heartless like antenna to match. It was warm too. And despite it being... an emotion given physical form?... Cole could feel the flutter of a tiny, frantic heartbeat under his fingers. 

The creature nodded and pointed. Cole blinked. He looked down at the unversed, then towards where it was pointing. “Okey dokey then.” He meandered off in that direction. 

When he rounded a corner of the wooden wall thing, Cole felt his face spontaneously combust. Why was Vani shirtless? Oh yeah, Cole had his hoodie. Cole hid his face in the unversed’s back. It was really fluffy. “Oh dear Kingdom Hearts why am I tested like this...,” he hissed into the unversed’s fur. It licked his cheek. 

Cole lifted his head and took a deep breath. He held the unversed a little tighter and stepped out into the open. “Morning Vani,” he chirped. Ooh... that sounded way more chipper than he actually felt. Cole ran his hand down the unversed’s back, petting it to calm his nerves. 

Vanitas looked up from watching the ocean. “Morning....” Uh oh. What was that? Why did he sound hesitant?

“Something wrong?” Cole tilted his head. He refused to show just how nervous he felt. Confessions in moonlight were one thing.... No! Bad thoughts! Stop it Cole. Vani said he always said what he meant. You wouldn’t not believe him would you? No, of course not. 

Vanitas shook his head, standing up. “No. Did you sleep alright? You got cold in the middle of the night so....” Oh. That was why they’d moved inland, and why Cole had his hoodie. 

Cole smiled, a warm feeling bubbling in his heart. “Yeah. I did. Thanks Vani.” He ran his thumb up the unversed’s face as it nuzzled his hand. 

Vanitas’s nose twitched. He looked out at the water again. “Sure....” He was quiet for a long moment. “I was... doing some thinking... about last night.”

Cole felt something clench around his heart. Oh no. “Yeah...? About what?” He curled his fingers around the unversed’s side, scratching at its tummy. It rolled over in his arms, sticking one leg up in the air. 

Vanitas twitched again. “Yeah.... I was thinking... about what you said. Why I... hate my light....” 

Oh thank lux! Cole felt a wave of relief wash over him. He tilted his head, smiling softly. “Yeah? You figure something out?” He scratched the unversed’s chest, glancing down at it as it made a giggling purring sound. 

Vanitas made a humming sound from his throat. Was his face turning red...? Why? Cole tilted his head, about to ask when Vanitas answered. “I think...! I think I hate him... because he’s the real one. He’s the person who made all the decisions in our life up until we split. Our heart was mostly his. Even before I had a consciousness... I think I knew... he was the real.... Damn it...! I still can’t even say.... Damn it....” He hung his head, gritting his teeth. 

Cole paused in petting the unversed, earning an indignant squeak in return. “Vani... you are real....”

Vanitas nodded. “Yeah.... That’s not the way I meant it.... I mean....” He shook his head. “Me... I’ve always only been Vanitas..., even if I was a part of him... I’ve only ever been me.” He looked up at Cole, bright red eyes glittering like rubies in the early morning sun. “Does that make sense...?”

Cole smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I can understand that. And I’m glad you figured that out.” He smiled down at the unversed in his arms. It stared up at him. Cole giggled softly, scratching it under the chin. 

Vanitas stiffened, inclining his head. He sputtered. His face was definitely red now. “You-you know I can feel that right?!” 

Cole froze. He looked up at Vanitas, then back down at the unversed. His mouth made an ‘o’ shape. Oh.... Oh! Oooohhhh! Cole moved hand away from the unversed, despite its squawk of protest. “No I did not!” He felt his own face getting red again. Vanitas scuttled across the sand, plucking the unversed out of Cole’s arms. It gave another annoyed squawk as it disappeared into shadow and dissolved into Vanitas’s skin. 

Vanitas looked almost as mortified as Cole felt. “That.... I made that unversed to watch over you while you were still asleep. I linked its senses to mine even more than usual, so I’d know if anything happened when I was away....”

“Oh.... Okay.... I’m... sorry.” Cole felt like his face would burst into flames at any moment. So... he was petting Vanitas too...? Oh... cheese and holy crackers...! Oops...!?

Vanitas shook his head slightly. “It’s... fine....” Then a smirk slowly grew on his lips. “But now I’m allowed retaliation....” The smirk turned into a sadistic grin. 

Cole blinked, yelping as Vanitas grabbed him and yanked him closer. He squirmed as Vanitas grinned down at him. “Vani...?! What the heck...?” He couldn’t stop himself from laughing. What was he doing? He looked like a goofball with that grin on his face. A goofball who was dead set on causing mischief that is. 

“Treat me like an unversed, and I’ll act like one~.” Vanitas gave one last mischievous grin before he leaned in and licked Cole’s cheek, just like the unversed had!

Cole let out a surprised squawk, leaning away as much as he could, which wasn’t much. Another bout of giggles escaped him. “Vani...! Whyyyyy...?” He squirmed, but Vanitas was stronger. “You... you’re acting like a big ol’ cat! You are an unversed!” Cole snickered, playfully shoving Vanitas’s face away. 

Vanitas narrowed his eyes at him, but there was still a smug little smile on his face. Then it spread into a smirk. Cole’s eyes widened as Vanitas leaned towards him. And, since Cole was leaning as far away as he could, it didn’t take much for them to tip over. Cole let out an ‘Oof’ as he landed on the sand, Vanitas landing on top of him, looking smug as smug could be. 

Cole narrowed his eyes into a glare, but felt a smile tugging at his mouth. “You is heavy.” He wiggled his arm free, poking Vanitas’s nose. “And very warm.”

Vanitas laughed softly, pressing his face against Cole’s chest. “Well, not much I can do about either of those....”

“Did I say I was complaining?” Cole snickered, dropping his arm to splay out on the sand. “Squash me with your magnificent muscles.” Vanitas blinked, his face turning a little red. Cole felt himself follow suit. “Uhh... that sounded funnier in my head....” He grinned sheepishly. 

Vanitas pressed his face into the hoodie again. Cole felt his laughing. “I see you laughing, Jerk.” He lightly smacked the back of his head, more dropping his hand on it than actually using force. 

Vanitas turned his head and smiled up at him. He didn’t say anything, but Cole thought he saw his lips moving like he was. After a long moment, Vanitas, seemingly regretfully, rolled off of him, rolling to his feet. “The islanders are coming back....” He said, looking towards the other end of the beach. Cole stood up and saw a small group of boats coming closer from a larger island. 

“Do you want to leave then?” Cole tilted his head, brushing the sand off his hoodie. Oh, Vani’s hoodie, actually. He started pulling it over his head. 

Vanitas hummed softly. “Yeah.... They’re Sora’s friends... I don’t want them to confuse me for... him....” Vanitas trailed off, but Cole couldn’t see him though, since his head was currently tangled in the hoodie. 

“Umm... I think I’m stuck....”

“I can see that.... Did you mean to pull your shirt up too...?”

Cole yelped and yanked his arms down, covering as much of his chest as he could with his elbows. “No...!” He twisted his arms, trying to at least get the shirt down again. “Vani...! Please help me....”

He heard Vanitas chuckling and come closer. Cole could practically feel the warmth radiating off Vanitas. Oh yeah. He wasn’t wearing a shirt either. Cole felt his brain scrambling itself. Think of something else! Think of something else! Fruit damn it! 

Vanitas yanked the hoodie off Cole’s arms, finally freeing him. Cole took a deep gasp. He could breathe freely again! He watched Vanitas trying to untangle his tank top from the sleeveless hoodie. “How the hell did you tie these in a knot?” Vanitas glanced towards Cole, then tossed the tangled mess over his shoulder. “Oh well....”

Cole sputtered. “Vani...! Gimme my shirt!” Vanitas shrugged helplessly, like it wasn’t his fault that they were hopelessly knotted. Cole huffed and called for his outfit storage, snapping his hoodie back on, zipped all the way up this time. That was... uncomfortable. The zipper was poking him. 

Vanitas huffed back at him, tossing the tangle of clothes at his face. Cole flushed slightly. Did... did Vani actually /want/ to see...? Nope! Nope-nope-nope! Not the time! Cole managed to unknot the tank and hoodie, smacking Vanitas in the back of the head as he tossed the hoodie to him. Vanitas shot him a half glare, pulling the sleeveless hoodie over his head. Cole slipped his tank top back on, under his hoodie. Then he exchanged it for a snug fitting black shirt. That’d have to do for now. When he was satisfied, he unzipped his hoodie, stuffing his hands into his pockets. 

“Well now, where to next Vani?” He smiled, hoping Vanitas wasn’t too sour at him. 

Vanitas hummed softly, tilting his head. “No clue. Maybe... somewhere scary...!”

Cole giggled, trotting forward to stand next to him. He leaned forward to grin up at him. “But I like scary things...!”

“And furry things too apparently....” Vanitas shot him a semi-smug smirk. 

Cole raised his eyebrows at him, twisting his lips into a playful pout. “What’s your point?”

“You are easy to please,” Vanitas grinned as he summoned a portal. “Let’s see where this takes us....” He grinned down at Cole. “Shall we?”

Cole grinned back up at him. “I do believe we shall!” A moment later, the beach was empty. The sun still glittered over the waves, the sea birds still called to each other, and the calm ocean breeze blew through the trees. Cole decided he liked that world. It was a beautiful, peaceful world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hope that chapter wasn’t too painful for y’all. If you skipped the warned about part:  
> Basically Cole’s parents were abusive, he had a little sister, and his note was left behind when he went to save the kids from the heartless. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed reading, even though there were some tough parts. It was both fun and painful to write. 
> 
> I met a reader this week actually and to you: you made me super happy and I jumped around my room for like twenty minutes. So thank you for the amazing compliments~ <3
> 
> Let me know what y’all think! It’s always amazing to hear from you!


	12. Monstropolis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Spoiler warning**
> 
>  
> 
> I planed this chapter based on the KH3 trailers so if you’re trying to go into the game blind then beware! But I don’t think I included any spoilers from KH3 that weren’t shown in the trailers so hurray!

Cole stepped out of the portal, stretching his arms above his head. He shook the sand off his hoodie, looking out over the rooftop they’d appeared on. The sun was just rising over the city scape, light bleeding in through the small spaces between skyscrapers. “Ooh...! It’s another big city...!” Cole pivoted on his heel and froze. 

There was someone standing behind him, but that person did not look like Vanitas. He had on the same sleeveless hoodie, but this person was furry, head to toe. Cole blinked, taking in this person’s appearance. He was shorter than Cole, covered in dark grey fur with black markings. He was not wearing pants, but he was very furry. Thank lux. There was something like a mop of hair made out of a thin dark red something that looked vaguely like fins. His eyes, or at least the one Cole could see, were the same piercing red that Vanitas’s were. 

“Vani...?” Cole chirped, looking the other up and down. He seemed to be doing the same. 

“Yeah... It’s me. This is weird....” Vanitas shook his head, pressing on furry hand (paw?) to his face. 

“Vani you’ve changed...!” Cole leaned down, examining Vanitas’s face closer. Honestly... he looked kinda like a furry. And... adorable. Cole really wanted to pet him, see if he was actually as fluffy as he looked. But after the petting incident on the beach.... best not to. 

Vanitas looked up at him with a vaguely irritated expression. “So have you.” He looked down at himself, shaking his head again. 

Cole checked himself out, first seeing that he’d actually kept his pants, thankfully. His legs had completely changed though. He was standing on what was basically the ball of his feet, his heal almost a foot off the ground. “No wonder I felt taller...,” he mumbled, examining his arms and torso. 

His skin was a grayish green color and had a leathery feeling to it. He still had his hair thankfully, through now it was longer and scruffier, hanging over one eye. Cole gingerly traced his face with his clawed hands, feeling the small tell tale bumps of scales under his eyes. Then, running a hand through his hair, Cole felt a singular, thin antenna sticking out of his head. He gently pulled it down so he could see it, finding a feathery tuft at the end of it. “Huh... s-strange.” Cole felt something tickle his bottom lip as his word hissed. “Oh no.... Vani do I have a snake tongue?” Cole opened his mouth. 

Vanitas blinked up at him, staring silently for a moment. “Yeah. And fangs....” He tilted his head slightly. “I think I do too....” Cole watched as Vanitas opened his mouth, showing off a mouth full of sharp fangs. 

“Yep. Definitely got some choppers there. Real pointy lookin’ things.” Cole scratched his cheek, momentarily forgetting about his claws. Then, he was suddenly very thankful for his thicker skin. He hadn’t cut himself. “S-so, ha-“ Cole froze. He felt something else. 

Slowly turning around, Cole saw a very large pair of wings folded against his back. A long, thin tail that looked very prehensile waved at him, the end fanning out into what looked like semi-fingers. The wings flexed on their own accord, making Cole yelp and try to leap away from them. 

Vanitas watched silently for a long moment, then cocked his head to the side. “Are those wings...?” 

Cole nodded helplessly, twisting to look over his shoulder. His tail whipped around and smacked against his stomach. “H-hold on... I....” Cole grit his teeth, sending out mental demands for the extra limbs to hold still. “It’s not like Halloween Town... these are actually real.... And connected to my brain.” Cole’s tail smacked his stomach again as his wings flared out. 

“That’s not gonna work....” Vanitas huffed and stalked over to Cole. He turned him around, grabbing on to his wings. “Now calm down.” Cole felt the exact opposite of calm at that particular moment, but he took a deep breath and tried to relax. Vanitas patiently helped him stretch his wings out, and work actual feeling into them. He only let go when Cole could stretch them out and retract them like he actually knew what he was doing. 

Cole let out a soft sigh, looking over his shoulder at him. “Where’d you learn how to do that...?” 

Vanitas huffed a little, a small smirk on his face. “My unversed. I got bored sometimes and they were pretty much the only interesting thing in the badlands.”

Cole blinked, a feeling of dread settling over him. “The... uh, the badlands...?”

Vanitas cocked his head to the side. Cole noticed his mouth looked like a cat’s. His ears were animal like too. One of them twitched irritably. “Yeah. That’s where my master kept me to train.” He spread his hands, a small unversed, the friendly one from the beach it looked like, appeared in his hand. “Do you remember from when you met me? I had no control over summoning them. Besides... the badlands were a safe place to train in using a keyblade. No one around to get in the way.” Vanitas brought his hands together, dispelling and reabsorbing the unversed. 

Cole tilted his head a little. “Cause... the unversed are your emotions right? And emotions are hard to control...!” That was... a good idea actually. But Cole was still very much not a fan of Vani’s ‘Master.’ He was very suspicious and worried. 

Vanitas nodded. “Exactly that. Now....” He looked down at his leg. “You can let go now....”

Cole followed his gaze and flushed darkly when he saw that his tail had wrapped itself around Vanitas’s leg. He yelped and yanked it off, clutching the end of it against his chest. “I... S-sorry....”

Vanitas snorted, shaking his head. “If you wanted to hold me~... all you had to do was ask~” he teased. How dare he! Cole shot a glare at him, letting go of his tail to smack Vanitas’s chest with it. 

Before he could pull it back, Vanitas caught it and held onto it, smugly grinning wide enough to show off a number of his teeth. “Aww~ Did I fluster you?”

Cole sputtered and huffed, yanking his tail away and shoving it down the back of his pants. “Quit teasing Vani...!” He didn’t really mean that. Vani was a lot of fun. And he looked nice when he smiled, even if that smile happened to be filled with pointy teeth. 

Vanitas snickered softly, strolling towards a door that looked like it lead down into the building they were standing on. “Sure sure...!” He waved his hand, sending a satisfied smirk over his shoulder. 

Cole huffed, but smiled. At least Vanitas was having fun, even if it was at Cole’s expense. Cole scurried after him, following him down into the building. 

 

Apparently they’d ended up on the roof of a factory of some kind. And as Vanitas and Cole descended into the factory, they saw thousands of doors, all lined up against the walls of a massive storage facility. They were all hanging from rails, stacked over each other like canned sardines. 

“What even is this place...?” Cole breathed, being very careful as he moved down the steps of the catwalk. 

Vanitas gave a shrug, then paused. He squatted down and picked up a brochure off the catwalk. It looked old and was a little trampled, but the inside looked okay. Cole peered down at it from over Vanitas’s shoulder. “‘Monsters inc. We scare because we care. The number one facility for... scream power...?’ What...?” 

“Scream power...?” Cole examined the diagram next to the slogan. There was a yellow canister with a red bar that apparently held the energy collected from scaring children. “Well... that’s disconcerting....”

Vanitas made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. “I... I don’t like this place. Something seems off....” 

Cole nodded, putting a hand on Vanitas’s shoulder. “Yeah.... I-“ He froze when he heard something clang in the distance. “Did you hear that...?” Cole straightened up, looking deeper into the door storage. 

“Yeah... sounds like machines...,” Vanitas mumbled. He stayed crouched, turning the brochure over in his hands... paws? This world was confusing. 

“No- well, yeah, but it sounded....” Cole tried to find the words, but couldn’t quite figure out what it sounded like. 

Then there came a shriek from above. Cole looked up to see something that looked like a very large crab dangling from the rafters. “What?!” Vanitas gasped, leaping to his feet. “That’s not.... That’s an unversed...!” He almost sounded offended. They backed up quick as the crab dropped down onto the catwalk, flattening the railing almost right where they’d been standing. The catwalk squealed under the crab’s weight. Cole saw a couple screws fall from the bottom. 

Vanitas looked back at Cole, a wild look in his eyes. “That’s an unversed but I didn’t make it...!” He threw his arm out in front of Cole and backed them away from the crab. “That means... I can’t control it.” 

Cole hesitated, glancing at the stylized heart on the crab’s face. It looked... somewhat familiar... but not quite... something. If that part was longer and that part was like that.... The crab leapt at them and Cole’s train of thought was lost. Vanitas slashed upwards, his keyblade jumping into his hand. Dark Heart bounced off the crab’s armor, but he’d hit it with enough force to knock the unversed over the edge of the catwalk. 

Cole let out a long sigh, looking down to watch the crab plummet to the ground. It poofed when it hit the ground, shattering into dust and shadow. “Well... that was one way to do it. Pretty effective too....” Cole looked up, seeing that Vanitas had his hand over his heart, a puzzled look on his face. “Hm? Vani...?”

“That should have hurt...,” he breathed. “An unversed that big... that should have hurt a lot....”

Cole tilted his head, leaning against the railing. “Maybe because it wasn’t yours...?”

“But...! I’m the only one who can make them....” Vanitas suddenly flinched, looking like he’d seen a ghost. Or rather, something equally scary since he didn’t seem to have any issues with the ghosts in Halloween Town. 

Cole hummed thoughtfully. “Well...! I have no ideas.” He shrugged, nudging Vanitas with his elbow. “Nice form though.”

Vanitas let out a huff of breath, a smile creeping onto his face. “Sure. And you need to get better at actual combat. You never jump in.”

Cole scoffed, only slightly offended. “Okay Mister...! There is several reasons for that. First, I didn’t want to destroy that unversed and possibly hurt you. Second, you beat me to it! Thirdly, I am not a close combat fighter. My specialty is Magic and sometimes Speed.”

Vanitas narrowed his eyes, looking a bit taken aback. “‘Speed’...?” 

Cole huffed and grinned. “Yeah yeah. I know, I’m slow. But I got a couple attacks in these babies that are speed class.” He flexed his arms in a classic ‘look at my muscles’ way, even though there wasn’t much to see through his hoodie. 

Vanitas opened his mouth to respond, still looking confused. But there was a sound that echoed from deeper in the factory that silenced both of them. Combat. Magic. There was someone with a keyblade fighting in here. Cole leaned out over the railing, trying to pinpoint the sound. 

“We should move...,” Vanitas said softly. Cole looked over at him and saw his fur standing on end. He suppressed a snort of laughter. Vanitas shot a glare at him. Oh so he heard that. 

Cole snickered and stepped back, scurrying down the catwalk. “Then let’s go find the exit to this wacky place.” He smiled back at Vanitas, watching him roll his eyes and follow him. 

 

There was some kind of system, Cole noticed, that was moving the doors around. He couldn’t make heads or tales of what it was, but every so often he saw a row of doors light up, anywhere between one and seven at a time. The lit doors would slide off the wall and along the rails, disappearing. Then different doors would replace them. Cole had no idea what was going on, but it reminded him of a very methodical bee hive. 

Eventually, they found a hole in the outermost wall, supposedly, that a monorail went through. “You think that might be a way out?” Cole asked, tilting his head. “I’m getting kinda tired of the scenery around here. Doors, doors, doors!” He threw his hands up dramatically. 

Vanitas huffed and rolled his eyes. “You know we could just use a corridor and leave this world.”

“But we haven’t actually seen any of it yet...! We’ve just seen the warehouse of doors!” Cole pouted, not quite sure how that looked with his monster face. 

But it seemed to work, since Vanitas rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips. “So, how do we get up there?”

Cole hummed, tilting his head, looking around. The monorail was about twenty or twenty-five feet off the ground, and there wasn’t a catwalk above it that they could drop down from. “Well uh... could try flying....” He gave a sheepish grin. “Or... oh!” Cole spotted a pole that stretched up to the ceiling, running not too far from the monorail. “We could use that!” 

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, or maybe both, Cole couldn’t see. “Okay...? How?” He sounded skeptical. 

“Easy,” Cole chirped. He summoned his keyblade, took a running start and leapt off the catwalk. He hooked his keyblade around the pole and felt the memetic energy building up around him. He felt himself start glowing again as he spiraled up the pole. When he was high enough, he released the pole and, for a split second, he was soaring through the air. 

Cole felt the adrenaline fade to quiet. He felt his heart beating in his chest, his breath exhaling, and his body moving on its own. His feet soared over the rail, but an instant later, Moonlight hooked on it and swung him up. This time, just as planned, Cole’s feet hit the monorail, releasing kinetic energy into the rail to make his feet stick, but hover at the same time. 

Cole exhaled, feeling the rush of excitement return with a unstoppable grin. He looked down at Vanitas, beaming proudly. “That’s how.”

Vanitas looked like he was trying to force his heart to start beating again. For a moment, he was sputtering, forming fragmentary sentences. “Wha- you- how did- the hell?! What the hell was that?!”

Cole blinked down at him, crouching down on the railing. “What? Flow-motion? It’s....” Oh. Oops. “It’s something I learned in a... well that’s actually harder to answer than it probably should be.” He laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek. Damn. That was difficult to explain. Where had he learned that? Well, technically, in Agrabah, but also not Agrabah. Oh boy was that gonna be a difficult conversation later. And Cole would tell him, of course, as soon as he figured out how to. 

Vanitas narrowed his eyes at him. “Okay, now how do I get up there?” He looked around, but there really wasn’t anything he could use. 

Cole hummed thoughtfully. Then he felt something vibrating through the railing. He looked down the track and saw a door rolling up towards him. “I have an idea.” He slid down the rail a good distance, then dropped down to hang by his feet from the bottom of the door. He hung his arms down and let Moonlight reach out for Vanitas. 

Vanitas’s eyes went wide and he shook his head like he couldn’t believe this stupid idea. But, he did it. He jumped up on the railing and summoned his keyblade. He hooked it on Moonlight’s teeth and let Cole swing him up so he could grab the monorail. 

Cole grinned and hopped back up a moment later, grinning from ear to ear. “It worked!” 

Vanitas just glowered at him. Cole blinked innocently at him. “And you were going to mention that when?”

Cole laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “It’s... Uhhhh.... It’s... complicated.... Something something, magic! But... really not the best conversation to have while balancing over a hundred twenty foot drop.” He glanced behind him at the hole in the wall. “And I’m not really sure how to explain it... it was hard enough to wrap my head around....”

Vanitas sighed and started crawling along the rail on all fours. “Whatever. Let’s just go.”

Cole felt guilt bloom in his chest. “Vani...! I... I promise I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret. I just....” He hung his head, looking down at his monstrous feet, perched delicately on the thin rail. “There’s a lot I have to explain first I guess... painful stuff... that I-I don’t want to-“ 

Vanitas cut him off with a clawed finger to his lips. “Off the railing first.” 

Cole nodded stiffly. Now he felt doubly bad. He twisted and started balance beam-ing his way along the rail. Now he really wished he’d tried having /that/ conversation earlier. On the beach would have been nice. And honestly that would have been an easier conversation to have rather than the one they /did/ have. But how exactly were you supposed to start a conversation like that? ‘Hey I ended up living in a dream, for who knows how long, with fake versions of my dead friends cause I didn’t remember they died...!’ Yeah, that’d be a stellar conversation starter. 

Cole stopped a little ways into the next room. This one was smaller, but still pretty big. There were balloons tied to a row of desks, with what looked like industrial sized batteries scattered around the room. And, directly below them were... apparently docking stations for the doors. Cole considered how they’d get back down now. 

Vanitas poked his leg. “Can you use your wings to glide down?” Cole blinked, then looked over his shoulder, stretching his wings out. “You know what...? I actually forgot those were there.” He held his hands out to Vanitas, smiling down at him. 

Vanitas hesitated for a long moment, then took his hands. Cole flapped his wings experimentally, then extended them fully, leaning forward until they caught the air. Slowly, but much faster than he would have liked, they swooped down to the floor. Vanitas let out a long sigh, then leaned against a desk. His eyebrow quirked upwards. 

“Ah... oh you meant right now...!” Cole laughed softly. He looked down at his feet, scuffing them against the confetti that littered the floor. 

“No more secrets,” Vanitas said in a rather accusatory tone. Cole flinched a little, feeling the guilt rising more and more. 

“I... I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret. I promise. I hate keeping secrets.... I... Ah geez.” Cole ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it irritatingly. “Okay, so... after my friends all... died, in that very violent and traumatizing way that they did, I managed to stay alive and not bleed out long enough for someone to show up and ‘collect’ the other survivors.”

Vanitas’s eyebrows went up as his eyes widened. He probably would have gotten paler if his face wasn’t covered in fur at the moment. Cole felt his resolve slipping. Quick version! Quick version! “So like... when that happened, we all got our memories of the fighting erased and got dropped into a dream version of our worlds. And, because I had, you know, actual friends that couldn’t just up and disappear without causing suspicion....” A heavy feeling settled in Cole’s stomach, bringing him up short. “I....” He let out a long breath, feeling his eyes prick as they started to water. 

Vanitas stepped forward, putting a hand on Cole’s cheek. “What happened...?” He asked softly, a gentle tone in his voice. 

Cole looked up at him, seeing through the magical disguise in his mind’s eye. He saw the gentleness on Vanitas’s face. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. Cole took a shaky breath. “When I had my memories... rearranged... I had to forget that they died... because I was forced to forget the fighting.... So, in the dream world... I spent so long... with the dreams that were made from my memories of them. They-they weren’t real... I spent so long /playing/ with fake versions of my friends... after I forgot that they died.” Cole dropped his gaze to his left hand, curling his fingers like he could feel Stars’s grip in his hand. 

“The only reason I got out... of that dream world... was Stars. There was no way that the dream could explain why I had Stella’s keyblade when she was standing /right there/.... So I got my memories back, barely, just enough to remember why....” Cole bit his lip, feeling himself shaking a little. “Everything’s still a little muddled, about what was the dream and what was real.... I’m not even sure I remember everything, but... I remember enough.... The leaders, the fighting, how scared everyone was, then when the light was swallowed by darkness.” Cole shook his head.

He looked up at Vanitas. “I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret. I just... wasn’t sure how to explain all that without crying....” Cole felt his voice crack. He squeezed his eyes shut. How long had he been crying? Come on, two days in a row...? 

Cole felt his head being tilted upwards. When did he sit down? Or did he collapse? Vanitas stood over him, bending down so they were face to face. He wiped the tears away from Cole’s eyes, despite the scaliness. Cole heard a low purring sound. Was Vani actually purring at him? Cole decided it was best not to mention it. 

Vanitas took a deep breath, seemingly gathering his thoughts. “It’s okay.... It’s okay.... I’m... not mad. I... I’m so sorry. That... sounds horrible.”

Cole felt himself smile. “Yeah.... How messed up is that...?” He laughed softly. “But... at least I’m not the only one who got out... maybe. Some of the others, two of the new leaders, disappeared... before I did. Maybe I’ll find them out here too....” He laughed again, leaning his forehead against Vanitas’s shoulder. “And honestly... when I go to sleep, I’m scared.... I get scared that I’ll fall back in to that dream that /felt so real/ and... this time I won’t wake up....”

Vanitas made a small humming sound. “If you do... I’ll pull you back out. I’ll save you,” he said softly, though there was a slight growl in his voice as he pressed Cole’s head against his chest. Cole grinned, wrapping his arms around Vanitas, pulling him into a tight hug. Vanitas started purring again. Cole grinned wider. 

Cole felt something- his antenna smacked Vanitas’s cheek, eliciting a low growl. Cole started giggling uncontrollably. Vanitas grumbled something into his hair, apparently not really minding it enough to move. Cole made a purring noise in return, though that was on purpose and something he could do in his normal body. 

Vanitas jerked back and narrowed his eyes at Cole. Cole smiled innocently up at him, batting his eyelashes. Vanitas huffed and shoved at Cole’s face playfully. Cole laughed, but froze when he heard the sounds of keyblade combat again. It was getting closer. Vanitas heard it too, his ears twitching as he looked over his shoulder. Then, a moment later, he shoved Cole under a desk, crawling on top of him a moment later. 

“Vani...! You’re heavy!” Cole whispered in a whine. Vanitas swatted at the back of his head, giving a low hiss that was basically a shush. Cole huffed, but kept quiet. He saw the feet of unversed scurrying past. Vanitas’s fingers tightened on his shoulders. Someone called out a spell, causing the unversed to burst into dark sludge that melted into the shadows. 

Cole felt Vanitas’s claws dig into his shoulders, but he grit his teeth and kept quiet. Something was very wrong here. Then he heard a familiar voice echoing from further down the room and chills ran down his spine. “Well done...!” Vanitas said, sarcasm and spite dripping off his voice. Cole looked up. Vanitas was still on top of him. He hadn’t spoken. 

“I was starting to think you weren’t coming... brother,” Not-Vanitas continued. Cole spotted a figure dressed in a long black coat striding past them, towards the keyblade wielder. Cole felt like he’d been drenched in ice water. His whole body was numb, though that may have been at least partly due to Vanitas laying on top of him. Vanitas slipped off of him, wiggling backwards and away from the stranger. Cole crawled backwards too, careful of his wings and tail. 

Not-Vanitas continued, saying something about finding part of a heart, his other half. Cole ducked out from under the desk. “We have to do something,” he whispered. Vanitas shook his head, jerking it away from the group. He wanted them to sneak away while everyone was distracted. 

Cole bit his lip, looking towards the group. He couldn’t see the rest of them, but the person that was not Vanitas had his helmet. Cole was sure that it was the same helmet. Not-Vanitas drew his keyblade. That was Void Gear...! That was the keyblade Vanitas had used before...! Cole gritted his teeth, scurrying behind the row of desks. He stopped when he was in line with the stranger in the mask. He took note of the confetti and battery things, scream canisters the brochure had said, that lay scattered around him. 

“Vanitas...!” Someone else said. They sounded like they hated him. No, no no no! That wasn’t Vanitas! That was someone pretending to be him! The Vanitas Cole knew was kind and gentle. He was someone who had protected innocent people and humored Cole’s stupid crush. Cole found himself baring his teeth as he stifled a growl in his throat. 

“... what a strange place to slither off to.... You insignificant speck...!” The masked boy growled. Cole saw his hand reaching outwards, but whoever he was reaching towards slapped his hand away. They drew their keyblade, but the masked boy knocked it away. “Now... join your heart... with mine!” He readied an attack, ready to drive his keyblade into the other person’s heart. 

That would not happen. 

Cole snatched the scream canister by his feet, jumped up and shouted, “Hey dumbass!” As the masked boy flinched and turned towards him, Cole launched the scream canister at him. “Think fast!” The masked boy stepped backwards reflexively and started to bring his keyblade down to cut the canister in two. “Wrong choice!” Cole grinned and clapped his hands over his ears. 

Void Gear cleaved the canister in two and all at once, there was a scream and an explosion that blasted wind in all directions. Cole grit his teeth as the wind tore past him, ripping at his clothes, his hair, and almost catching his wings. The masked boy was blown off his balance, stumbling backwards until his back hit a docked door. Cole shook the shock off and bounded over the table. He turned to face the person the masked boy had been threatening and saw... Vanitas. Or a lighter version of whatever monster Vanitas was. The boy shook his head, then looked up at Cole with bright blue eyes. 

There were two other monsters standing behind the fluffy boy, a tall green one with two stalk type eyes that stuck out of his head and a shield, and a short blue one with one a funny looking stick, a wand or staff of some sort probably. The boy who was a lighter colored Vanitas, light grey with dark grey markings and bright red fin-hair, held a keyblade in his hand. Cole blinked, thrown as off balance as the masked boy had been, though just in a figurative sense. 

The boy with the keyblade tilted his head, eyes wide. “Who- um... thanks...? I-“ He tensed up, dropping into a battle ready pose, though Cole had never seen anyone who held his keyblade like that. He was looking past Cole, a fierce look in his eyes. 

Cole looked behind him, seeing the masked boy standing behind him with his keyblade leveled at Cole’s chest. “You... How dare you....” 

“You know you actually responded to being called ‘dumbass’ right?” Cole felt a smug grin slip onto his face. He felt his snakey tongue flicker out past his lips. That was slightly embarrassing, but he hoped it made him look more confident than he felt. Come on Vani.... Where are you...? 

The masked boy growled, stepping forward. “This doesn’t concern you.... This is between me and my brother....”

“Yes I am between you two. Hello I am ‘This.’ Nice to meet you, Dumbass.” Cole put his hands on his hips, cocking them to one side confidently. This guy was bad news, so Cole didn’t need to worry about making friends. 

The masked boy visually bristled. “Shut up! I will not stand here-“ Something very large and colorful slammed into him from the side, cutting him off. 

The masked boy went sprawling with a very large crab shaped unversed on top of him. Vanitas appeared at Cole’s side, breathing hard. “No, you won’t.” Vanitas shot a half glare at Cole before grabbing his hand. Cole watched as the crab clamped its claw around the boy, then chucked him at the far wall. The masked boy collided with the wall with a resounding crack. Cole was pretty sure he saw cracks in the wall. The crab unversed scuttled over to the boy and sat on him. 

Cole looked up at Vanitas and made an ‘uuuuuhhhhhhh’ sound completely unintentionally. Did... did that actually just happen? That did not... yes it did. 

Vanitas’s grip on his hand tightened, almost painfully. “That won’t knock him out for long...!” Vanitas snapped his head around, eyes half wild as he locked eyes with Cole. “Time to go.” He ran around the front of Cole, spinning him around, and ramming him into the smaller not-vanitas monster. 

Cole yelped as he was pulled along, Vanitas barreling towards the open door of the room. Cole heard the small not-vanitas shout, “Hey wait...!” And suddenly there were two people holding his hands. The boy was being pulled along behind Cole!

Cole felt his eyes widen as Vanitas rounded the corner and summoned a portal. “Vani! VaniVaniVani! Wait wait wait! We have-!” And they were through the portal, spilling out onto the other side. 

Cole collided with Vanitas’s back, tripping over the sudden reappearance of his boots, his heal caught on some kind of root. The boy collided with Cole’s back and shoulder, letting out a half grunt half yelping sound. Something gave a raspy squeak as it collided with the boy. Then something even larger collided with that. Vanitas went down under their combined weight, apparently he hadn’t planned on several people running into him. Cole groaned as his face was smushed against Vanitas’s back. Something had apparently slid to a stop over his head. Cole sighed, finally finishing the thought. “Stowaways....”

There were several moments of grunting and kicking as the dog pile disentangled itself. There was something fluffy and white covering Cole’s face, which was later revealed to be a very large duck. Someone else helped Cole sit up, lifting him up from under his arms. Cole huffed softly as he settled down on solid ground. The boy was helping the duck right itself. 

Cole looked up at the boy and froze, his eyebrows furrowing. Apparently the resemblance hadn’t been a magical disguise thing. The boy sitting in front of Cole looked just like Vanitas, except with brown hair and striking blue eyes. A realization settled over Cole moments before Vanitas pushed himself into a sitting position. Vanitas froze when he saw the boy, only breathing out a single word. “Sora....”

 

Cole felt like the world had come to a screeching halt. This was the kid that Vanitas had been terrified of? This kid was the one who’d restored the worlds or whatever? Honestly Cole hadn’t imagined this scrawny kid to be this great keyblade wielder. But, on the other hand Edward had been kinda scrawny too. Must be a Speed or Magic specialist then. Cole was the first one to shake off the shock, Sora and Vanitas were still staring at each other. 

“Uhh... Hi! My name’s Cole and....” He looked down at his body. It was back to normal. “This is what I actually look like.” He grinned, hoping to break the tension. 

Sora’s eyes flickered over to him, then he seemed to relax. “Uh, hey....” He lifted a hand in a short wave, then looked back at Vanitas. “You... um... This is weird....”

Vanitas bristled and stood up quickly. “We’re leaving. Come on Cole.” He turned on his heel, stalking away. 

Cole lurched forward, grabbing onto Vanitas’s hand. Vanitas kept walking, dragging Cole along the ground. “Ah! Vani! Vani! Wait! Wait wait wait! My pants...! Are slipping...!” Vanitas stopped walking. Sweet kingdom above, /thank you/! Cole dropped his hand and wiggled back into his pants. He popped up onto his feet, brushing the dirt off. Vanitas started walking away again, but Cole caught hold of his shoulder. “Hold on just a minute...!” He pulled Vanitas back. 

Sora scrambled to his feet, looking very confused and concerned. The duck and... dog person stood beside him, dressed in battle gear. Those must have been the boy’s companions back in the monster world. “Uh... who... who are you...?” He asked, eyes locked on Vanitas. 

“Yeah...!” The duck rasped, putting its hands... wings... on its... hips...? “And why do you look like Sora?!”

The dog person tilted its head. “Well, thanks for helping us back there. Things might have turned out bad if you hadn’t shown up when you did.” Cole felt his heart lifting a little. At least most of these people seemed friendly, he wasn’t too sure about the duck. 

Vanitas looked over his shoulder at Cole in a sour glare. Cole stepped closer to him, bumping his shoulder against Vanitas’s. “I’m Cole and this is Vanitas.” This person was Vanitas, sweet, gentle, protective Vanitas. 

Sora tilted his head slightly. “But... I thought that other person was Vanitas.... That’s what....” His hand drifted over his heart, eyebrows furrowing. 

“Don’t listen to them Sora! It’s probably just another of the Organization’s tricks.” The duck raised its staff. Oh, Cole did not like this duck. 

But Cole pushed a smile onto his face. “Hey now, we introduced ourselves, shouldn’t you do the same?”

Sora started a little bit. “Oh! Right! I’m Sora. He’s Donald and he’s Goofy.” He gestured to the duck and dog person in turn. The duck, Donald, didn’t lower his staff. 

Cole let out a soft sigh, stepping up to the duck, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you Donald.” The duck tensed, glaring at his hand like it might try to bite him. “Come on. Shake hello? I promise I don’t bite.” Donald, seemingly reluctantly, shook his hand. But, it got him to lower his staff. 

Cole stepped backwards and offered a hand to Goofy next. “And it’s nice to meet you Goofy.” Goofy shook his hand, looking very pleased to do so. Cole decided he liked Goofy. Then, Cole extended a hand to Sora. “And it’s nice to meet you too Sora.” Sora didn’t even hesitate now to shake Cole’s hand, beaming with a bright, but welcoming light. Oh, no wonder he’d helped Vani and his light. It was the nature of Sora’s heart. Cole felt very confident that he could trust Sora. He stepped back to stand next to Vanitas. 

Vanitas was practically radiating distaste, Cole could feel his glare prickling across his skin. He chose to ignore it. “It’s not often we run into other world travelers, so this is kinda new to... both of us.” He laughed softly. 

Sora joined in with a sheepish grin. “Yeah... us too.... Wait. You’re keyblade wielders?!”

Cole nodded, gesturing around to the forest surrounding them. “Well, if the sudden change of scenery didn’t tell you....” He extended his hand and called for Moonlight. It’s familiar weight appeared under his fingers. Moonlight glowed softly where the shadows of the trees laid over it. Cole grinned and propped it over his shoulder. “So uh... what now?”

Sora blinked, looking at Donald and Goofy. “Uhh... I guess....” His eyes drifted up to Vanitas. “Are you actually... Vanitas...?”

Cole glanced sideways at him, seeing a forced look of apathetic distaste on his face. “Yeah. That’s me. That person you saw in there, the one that was summoning all the unversed, he’s a replica. A poorly made one at that.”

Cole tilted his head, dispelling Moonlight from his hand. “Replica? What’s that?” He paused a moment. “Well, I mean I understand what a replica is... but uh....” He cut himself off when Vanitas side-eyed him. “I ramble when I’m nervous...!” He hissed through a sheepish grin. 

“Yeah I noticed...!” Vanitas hissed back. He rolled his eyes and dropped his arm on Cole’s shoulder, leaning against it. “That replica was made to imitate a person, in this case, me. And apparently that lets him make unversed too!” He growled low in his throat, then winced. “And there goes mine. He’s up and kicking now....” Vanitas grunted as he shifted, gritting his teeth as he seemed to try to stretch out a cramp in his stomach. 

Sora shifted nervously. “Then, we have to go back...! We have to help the others!” He rolled his weight onto the balls of his feet, leaning forward. “You have to send us back...!”

“I don’t /have/ to do anything for y-“ Vanitas bit down the rest of that thought when Cole jabbed him in the side with his finger. Apparently he was in more pain than he let on. 

“Well, you don’t /have/ to, but you probably /should/, since we kinda kidnapped them. Or... they kidnapped themselves... by coming with us...?” Cole tilted his head, thinking about the logistics of that. 

Vanitas huffed and rolled his eyes. “I can’t summon a corridor at the moment....” He talked through gritted teeth. So he was in a lot of pain. 

“I could call a portal....” Cole murmured, tapping his finger against his lips. 

Vanitas huffed, a smirk rising to his face. “Well that’d get rid of them at least.”

Cole glared up at him. “What’s that supposed to mean...?”

Vanitas glowed down at him with a dry smirk on his face. “Last time you did that we ended up in two completely different worlds.”

“At least they were connected!” Cole protested. “And I’d just gotten my head cracked open by a big fiery explosion and almost got flattened by a giant boss heartless!”

“Then why’d you summon the corridor?” Vanitas’s eyebrows went up as a smirk danced across his face. Cole pouted and frowned, sticking his tongue out at him. Vanitas stuck his tongue out back at him, still looking self satisfied. 

Sora coughed, shifting from foot to foot. “So um....” He glanced between Cole and Vanitas. But his eyes stopped on Vanitas. “So you’re not... trying to kill me...?”

Vanitas scoffed, putting his free arm on his hip. “I don’t want a damned thing to do with you. Or the other half of my heart that’s still sleeping inside you.”

Sora blinked, his hand flying up to grip the shirt over his heart. “So... So he was telling the truth then?” His hand slowly drifted down. “Um... Vanitas...?” Vanitas huffed, a soft grumble emanating from his throat. Cole tried not to snicker. Someone was grumpy. 

Sora took a step forward, then hesitated. “Aren’t you... I mean... there’s something telling me that... You’re pure darkness... aren’t you?” He looked a little scared. 

Vanitas huffed, rocking to his feet. “Yeah. So?” He almost sounded defensive. 

Cole hummed softly, leaning against him. “Darkness isn’t evil you know.”

Sora and Vanitas both looked at him like he’d started quacking. Donald and Goofy looked confused too. Cole laughed softly, tilting his head. “Darkness isn’t evil. There are people who are of darkness who do evil. But, there are also people of light who do terrible things too.” Cole thought for a moment. “Whether by darkness or by light... too much of either will leave you just as blind....” He remembered the fighting... everyone was just trying to protect the light they loved so much, too much. Too much light....

Vanitas made a small noise and Sora’s eyebrows went up. Cole smiled softly, feeling a confidence welling up inside him. “That’s why you shouldn’t look directly at the sun. And why you need a candle in a dark room. Because people don’t work in absolutes. Every heart has light and darkness in it, at least at some point.” He smiled softly. “And darkness isn’t evil, anymore than the night is.” 

He extended his hand, calling Moonlight back to his hand. It shone brighter now, as he asked it to. “Sure, some bad things come out at night, because it’s easier to hide in the dark, but some good things come out at night too, for the same reason. And without night, we wouldn’t have the moon, or the beautiful sky.” He grinned a little. “Though I may be a bit biased.... I like the moon.” He giggled, dispelling Moonlight. 

Sora looked up at him. “You know... I’ve never thought about it like that before.” He looked down at his own hand, like he was imagining a keyblade there. “My best friend was taken over by darkness... I mean... by someone using the darkness to control him.... And ever since... I’ve been fighting the darkness.”

Cole smiled. Ah, so he was open to listening. That was better than expected. “Not all darkness needs fighting. But some of it does. The world just doesn’t work in absolutes. It’s up to you to decide what needs protecting and what needs fighting. And yeah, sometimes that means you’re wrong.” They had been wrong, when they’d lead so many people straight into Hell. 

Cole tilted his head, looking back to Vanitas. “And I’m sure you have some darkness of your own.” Sora flinched, his hand recoiling. “There’s no shame in having insecurities or fears, that’s part of what makes us alive. The only thing is... making sure your darkness doesn’t control you, and your light shouldn’t either. Man it’s hard to explain....” He scratched his head. 

Sora raised his eyes and smiled at Cole. “That’s....”

“That sounds like a load of hooey!” Donald snapped. “Of course darkness is bad. That’s where the heartless come from.”

Cole tilted his head. “Well. You can believe what you want I suppose....” He chewed the inside of his lip. 

“Well, I donno,” Goofy interjected. “I mean the heartless do come from darkness. But doesn’t the king have a keyblade of darkness? Doesn’t that mean he uses darkness too? And the king’s not evil.”

Donald crossed his arms... wings. “Well we’ve never fought bad things from light before.” 

“I have,” Cole interjected. “They’re called people. They’re so sure that all darkness must be destroyed that they’ll gladly hurt or kill someone just for giving in.” He locked eyes with Sora’s. “Like your friend.” He slipped his hand into Vanitas’s. Vanitas squeezed it reassuringly. “I’m not saying that you’re wrong to fight the darkness like you are. Just something to think about.” Cole looked up at Vanitas. “Can you summon a portal now or should I keep talking philosophy?”

Vanitas huffed, a small smile on his face. “Yeah that’s long enough.” He extended his arm and a portal swirled into existence behind Sora and his friends. “That’ll take you back to the monster world.”

Sora hesitated, looking over his shoulder. Donald and Goofy waddled over to the portal, waiting for him. Sora turned back to Vanitas. “I... I’m happy for you,” he said. There was a strange kind of forcefulness to his voice, like he was pushing the words out. His voice sounded strange too. 

“Um...!” His voice was back to normal. “Do you know how to restore... his heart...?” Sora’s hand drifted over his heart again. 

Vanitas huffed. “No idea. He’d know better than me. He’s the one who shattered our hearts.” He shook his head, squeezing Cole’s hand tighter. Sora nodded, like he’d expected that answer, but was sad to get it. He turned to walk away. “And Sora...!” Sora turned back around. “It’d be irritating if you died, since our hearts are still connected. So don’t you dare die.” He growled and turned around. 

Sora beamed, giving a quick nod. “Same to you.” He looked at Cole. “If you guys need help or something....”

Cole nodded. “Alright. Same to you.” He waved as Sora leapt through the portal. It closed behind him and Vanitas collapsed. Cole yelped and clung onto him, barely slowing his fall. “Vani?!”

“Ooowwwww...,” Vanitas whined. He was laying face down in the dirt, emitting a high pitched whine. “That hurt more than it should have. Damn replica... got it where it’d hurt most, the- owww!” 

Cole knelt beside him, patting his hair softly. He pulled a potion out of his pocket and shoved it in Vanitas’s face. “Drink it.”

Vanitas grumbled as he rolled onto his back and upended the bottle over his mouth. After a few moments he sat up, rubbing his head. “We should move.”

Cole blinked. “Huh? Why?” He tilted his head as Vanitas pushed himself to his feet. 

“Because I don’t want to be tracked,” he growled, shaking his head. Cole climbed to his feet, wrapping his arm around Vanitas’s waist. 

“I’ll get the portal.”

“Like hell you will!” Vanitas winced from his own shouting. “Ow....”

Cole readjusted Vanitas leaning against him, summoning Stars into his hand. “Don’t worry. This time I’ll hold on.” He grabbed onto Vanitas’s belt, hoisting him up higher. He leveled Stars straight out and called for a portal. It swirled into existence in front of him. He heard Vanitas grumbling softly. “Don’t worry,” Cole grinned. “I asked for a world where we could get some rest.” He stepped forward, Vanitas reluctantly trailing along beside him. Cole hummed thoughtfully as they stepped through the portal. He wondered why his portals and Vanitas’s looked so different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Rubs hands together* Okey dokey~ Here comes more of that big plot stuff. >:3c Heeheehee. I’ve got the next several chapters /sorta/ planned out. Up through Chapter 21 ish. So y’all are in for a lotta stuff. Both fluff and angst and plot. 
> 
> Also~ Time to rewrite KH3. =3= /\  
> We’ll see how this goes and what I keep and what I don’t.


	13. London and the Doulton Hall

As they stepped out of the corridor, well Cole stepped, Vanitas was half dragged, Vanitas saw that they’d appeared in another big city. Though this time it was the oppressive feeling of so many hearts that gave that away instead of the view. The view... was one of a dirty ally wall. The bricks were scratched and covered with grime. Vanitas sincerely hoped Cole wouldn’t lay him against it. Instead Cole shifted his grip, holding Vanitas up by his belt more than anything else. “Is... this looks kinda like New York....” He turned them around so they were looking out the open end of the ally. “Or not....” 

Vanitas raised his eyebrows as he saw people rushing back and forth beyond the ally. They were dressed in coats and hats that they hadn’t seen in New York. He looked down at his own clothes and sighed. “Definitely not New York....” He was wearing a wool coat with a lighter brown vest and a white button up shirt. His boots had been replaced with some kind of brown dress shoes that probably wouldn’t be very good to run in. When he looked up again, he saw that Cole was poking the brim of a hat, pushing it down in front of his eyes. Vanitas glared at him from under the brim of his hat, reaching up to fix it. 

Cole snickered, looking rather pleased with himself. Looking down, Vanitas saw that Cole was wearing a long tan coat, black pants, and shoes that had a distinctive heel to them. He had been spared a hat, but his hair looked like it’d been brushed. There was still part of it that stuck up funny though, which made Vanitas smile despite himself. 

He shook himself out of his daze, straightening up. His gut was still screaming in protest, but he could at least stand by himself. He shrugged his arm off Cole’s shoulder, letting out a long breath as he tried to relax his stomach. 

“You okay?” Cole asked, sounding worried. 

“I’ve felt worse,” Vanitas grumbled, trying to brush it off. And really, he had. 

“I didn’t ask if you’d felt worse. I asked if you were okay... and not just pain wise....” Cole laid a gentle hand on Vanitas’s shoulder. Vanitas tried to ignore the shock that seemed to run across his skin. 

He shifted his weight, letting Cole’s hand slide off his shoulder. “The pain’s already almost gone.” Lie. “It’s just a really bad cramp.” It’s like getting his intestines twisted around a knife. “It just hurt so much because he knew where it’s soft spot was.” Now that was the truth. 

Vanitas shifted from foot to foot, deliberately not looking at Cole. “As for the other thing... seeing Sora again wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. Especially since he still has... my old light... still sleeping in his heart.” He looked up at Cole. “And the replica is hardly the worst insult my Master has given me.” That was another lie. It hurt, far more than it should have. He’d been replaced so quickly. Xehanort had never been the most heartfelt person, he’d been the one to rip Vanitas and Ventus apart in the first place after all, but still... all that time together, being used as a weapon.... Xehanort replaced him so easily. Vanitas couldn’t help but feel... hurt. It hurt, like he’d been abandoned again. But.... He looked up at Cole’s worried face and looked into the gently glowing light of his heart. 

“What you said before... about darkness not being evil... just another part of a heart... that was... nice.” He scratched his cheek, fighting a blush. He’d never thought about that before, that darkness didn’t have to be evil. Everything he’d even known, ever been told... Vanitas had always been evil, because he was darkness. 

Cole grinned and started to respond when a soft ringing bell came from the entrance of the ally. Vanitas looked up and saw a man dressed similarly to him, straddling a bicycle with a ladder attached to its side. “Hello there!” He said with a grin. “My name’s Jack and I’m here to pick you two up.” 

Vanitas glanced at Cole and muttered, “Friend of yours...?” Cole shook his head wordlessly. “Well...,” Vanitas scoffed, “That’s not suspicious at all...!”

 

The man, Jack the leery, as he’d introduced himself, said that someone named Mary Poppins had sent him to pick the two of them up for “an evening or so.” Vanitas was suspicious, but curious. Cole apparently didn’t know her either, so either she was a powerful magic user, or this was a trap. Jack babbled on and on about his work lighting lamps and the beauty of London at night. They’d had to stop every few feet for Jack to climb up a lamp post and spark it into life. But he was quick and they made good time. 

Jack had laid his ladder out over the back of his bike and had Vanitas and Cole sit on it like a dangerous balancing act. Cole seemed rather amused by the bike ride, grinning as they zipped around corners and flew down hills. But there was something bugging Vanitas. He couldn’t quite figure out what, but something felt... off. 

“So, how do the two of you know Mary Poppins?” Jack asked. 

Cole twisted to look at him from over his shoulder. “We don’t. I’ve never even heard her name before.”

Jack gave a soft laugh. “Well, must be some special power she’s got that told her to have me pick you two up.” He shook his head slightly, looking up at the dark, nearly starless sky. 

“Where are all the stars...?” Vanitas murmured before realizing he’d said that out loud. 

“Ah that. It’s all the smoke and such from the town,” Jack sighed, slowing the bike to a stop and putting his foot on the ground. “So many people living in one place... all the coal and oil covers the city like a blanket. The stars are still there, just dim.”

Vanitas heard Cole hum softly, letting out a small sigh. “It was like that back where I came from too.... Hey Jack, what do you think the stars really are?”

Jack looked back at them, flashing a crooked grin. “The stars eh? Well they’re hearts aren’t they?”

Vanitas felt like someone had smacked him. “You know about that?” Damn it! Stop just saying stuff!

Jack laughed softly, settling back on the bike as he pushed them into motion again. “Of course. There are other worlds everywhere. Why Bert, an old friend of mine, emphasis on old....” He threw a wink over his shoulder, earning a snicker from Cole. “Bert went to another world once, inside a chalk drawing he drew! Can you believe that?” He gave a soft chuckle. “Well, of course you can. Mary Poppins said you two were from another world, one far bigger than any I’d ever see.” He gave a longing sigh. 

Cole looked at Vanitas, a question in his eyes. ‘Should we tell him he’s right?’ Vanitas gave a one shouldered shrug, not particularly caring. If he already knew, what’s the harm?

Cole smiled as he leaned back. “Yeah.... The stars you can see, those are the hearts of worlds. Some shine brighter, some are closer. But each world is so completely unique, and there are so many different worlds of different sizes... it’d be impossible to visit them all....” He laughed softly. “Your friend was pretty lucky. It’s not often normal people get to visit other worlds... and come back to tell about it.”

Jack didn’t respond for a long moment. “Mary Poppins took him, along with two kids. Now that she’s back, I can only hope I’ll get the opportunity to go too. Just once. That’d be enough.”

Cole hummed softly. “Back...?” He asked softly, moving his hands so he could lean back more. Vanitas looked down at his hand, resting so close. A small aching rose in his chest, a longing he wasn’t familiar with, but at the same time, knew all too well. 

“Well yeah. Mary Poppins doesn’t stay around in one place too long. She comes and goes and such. Last time she was here I was just a kid.” Jack grinned up at the sky. “She’s something real special, ya know?” 

Vanitas glanced towards the back of Jack’s head, then gently laid his hand on top of Cole’s. Cole blinked, looking at his hand, then up at Vanitas’s face. A smile spread across his face, which was not doing good things for Vanitas’s insides. His stomach was already twisting around itself and that had just made it worse. He didn’t move his hand though. 

 

Finally, they pulled to a stop next to a large house. It was surrounded by an iron fence and most of the windows were dark. But there was one, on the second floor, that was open, illuminated by a light from inside. “This is it,” Jack said, climbing off the bike. Cole hopped down, looking up at the window. Vanitas slid down, gritting his teeth to hide the still irritating pain. He forced himself to stay relaxed, looking up at the window. He saw a young woman peering down at them, mostly hidden by the curtains. 

“Who is that?” Vanitas asked, glancing towards Jack as he leaned his bike against a lamp post. 

Jack hummed questingly and looked up at the window. “Who?” 

Vanitas followed his gaze. The woman was gone. If this house was haunted or something, he was sacrificing Jack first. 

Jack, meanwhile, walked up to the iron fence and hopped up onto it. He offered his hand down to Cole. “Come on then. Up we go.”

Cole looked as concerned as Vanitas felt, though his face had a lot more shocked horror mixed in with it. “Wha- are we breaking in?” He hissed, very deliberately not taking Jack’s hands. 

Jack laughed softly. “It’s not breaking in if that’s how we were invited.” Cole still didn’t look convinced. Vanitas stepped up to stand next to him. 

Something was very off about this. If they had to fight their way out... well that’d be mostly on Cole, since Vanitas wasn’t sure if he could even summon his keyblade. And he didn’t like the thought about Cole facing Jack, and maybe others, in a fight. His track record for fighting human opponents... wasn’t great, even if watching him completely baffle the replica was... impressive and hilarious. But, if they had to run... Cole’s corridors, generated by his keyblade, were slow at best. Weren’t those called ‘the lanes between’? Vanitas thought he could summon a corridor, though for how long....

The woman appeared in the window again, opening the window and stepping out onto the balcony. “Well? Hurry up now, we haven’t got all night,” she chirped in a strong, clear voice. Then she turned and disappeared back into the room. 

Jack laughed again. “Well, you heard her. Mustn’t keep Mary Poppins waiting now.” Well... at least they weren’t breaking in. Vanitas watched Cole step forward and take Jack’s hand. Jack hoisted Cole onto the fence and showed him how to climb onto the balcony. Then he turned back for Vanitas. “And you?”

Vanitas grit his teeth. As much as he’d like to swat Jack’s hand away, he wasn’t sure if he could climb up there on his own. Damned replica.... Vanitas begrudgingly took his hand and let Jack pull him up. 

 

The room inside was for children. There were toys and small beds filling most of the space, leaving the three children, Jack, the woman who was apparently Mary Poppins, Cole and Vanitas to crowd around the small open space, surrounding a large China bowl with a rather large crack in it. The children watched Cole and Vanitas warily, though that was probably due more to Vanitas than Cole. But the woman, Mary Poppins, was undoubtedly in charge here. She had a regal presence that probably could have made Xehanort think twice before challenging her. She was fussing over the children at the moment, fixing their clothes and straightening their hair. 

Then, finally, she turned and fixed her gaze on the two of them. Vanitas almost wished she hadn’t. There was something about the way she looked at him, it was unreal, like something he could have only imagined. But here it was, this gaze that seemed to take him apart piece by piece, examining every flaw, every insecurity. This woman was powerful and, if she chose to be, very very dangerous. It was only after her lips quirked up into a smile that Vanitas realized that he’d stopped breathing. 

Cole leaned against his shoulder, looking shaken himself. Vanitas felt Cole’s fingers slip into his hand, curling around his fingers. Vanitas moved his fingers in kind, letting himself hold Cole’s hand. 

Mary Poppins cleared her throat, finally speaking. “Now then.” Her eyes held a steady gaze over Vanitas. “We’re going to visit the Royal Doulton Music Hall, here.” She pointed at the bowl. “You two are invited to join us, as a bit of a reprieve from adventure.” Her eyes flickered down for a fraction of a second, flitting over the still painful knot in Vanitas’s stomach. “While adventure is fun, there must be some rest as well.” She smiled, kinder this time. 

Vanitas felt Cole relax against him, though he was still holding his hand rather tightly. “You’re... inviting us into the bowl...?” Cole asked, tilting his head. 

Mary Poppins smiled slyly. “Of course. The world inside is a quaint little place, though I’m sure it will be an enjoyable experience. I think you in particular will be a fan, Cole.” She clicked her tongue. “And I’ll expect you both to meet us at the Music Hall.” She turned and marched back to the others, extending her hands. “Now. Children, make sure to hold hands, tightly now.” She gently put her hands on the bowl and gave it a strong twist. 

The children looked liked they were going to protest, but a sharp look silenced them. Mary Poppins took two children by the hand, leaving the third to hold Jack’s hand as he took another child’s hand. The pained flowers on the bowl seemed to peel off and flutter around the five of them, glowing a vibrant blue. Vanitas backed up quick, pulling Cole with him. The flowers spun around Mary, Jack, and the children, obscuring them from view. Then they suddenly stopped. The flowers faded, disappearing into nothingness. And the five of them were gone. 

Vanitas blinked, staring at the spot they had vanished. “That... how the hell... She didn’t use a keyblade or a corridor or anything...!”

Cole nodded, squeezing Vanitas’s hand a little tighter. “She... knew my name....”. Vanitas looked down at him. “I’m... a little freaked out... at this point.”

“Only a little...?” Vanitas huffed, eyeing the bowl suspiciously. It had stopped spinning and sat innocently on the small bedside table like it hadn’t just eaten five people. “...what do we do...? Should we actually follow them?”

Cole hummed thoughtfully, pressing his lips together. “I guess we have to....” He smiled up at Vanitas, a sparkle in his eyes. “Besides, if anything goes wrong I’ll protect you Vani~...,” he cooed in a teasing tone. Vanitas narrowed his eyes at him. Cole’s face broke out into a grin as he giggled. 

“Fine...,” Vanitas groaned. “But I’m not summoning a-“ Cole’s keyblade was already in his hand, pointing at the bowl. He extended his free arm to Vanitas, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Shall we?” 

Vanitas took his arm, slipping his fingers between Cole’s, for a more secure grip of course. “Yeah. Go ahead.” Cole’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he shot a light from his keyblade on to the surface of the bowl. 

“To the Royal Doulton Music Hall please.” And with a sharp lurch, the world faded to black, only to open up a moment later to someplace completely different. 

 

The world inside the bowl was bright and colorful, with flowers of every color decorating the small gardens that dotted the now crowded plaza. There were tents and stings of lights everywhere, each completely different from the next, and brightly colored. Vanitas rubbed at his eyes, trying to blink the spots out of them, then realized his clothes had changed again. 

He looked down at himself, seeing a darker blue suit with red and grey striped pants and a bright blue tie. He still had a hat on, but now it was a top hat, black with a bright red ribbon. He gave a small sigh. Worlds like this were really such an eyesore. 

Then, Vanitas felt Cole squeeze his hand. He looked over at him and blinked. Cole was dressed similarly enough, though there was a wreath of flowers sitting in his hair. Tiny lights sparkled from between the petals of.. mostly roses, and several other flowers Vanitas couldn’t name. He had a light blue suit with a bright red ribbon tied loosely around his neck. Cole was staring at the lights around them, practically glowing. Vanitas noticed that his tie was the same color as Cole’s eyes... when he was excited. 

Vanitas bit the inside of his lip hard, fighting a blush. He looked around them again, and for the first time noticed the crowd around them. They were all animals, dressed formally and walking around on two legs. Vanitas watched as a bear bought popcorn from a very large cat. Cole gasped softly, tugging on Vanitas’s arm. 

“Vani...! I like it here!” He grinned widely, practically glowing. Vanitas felt like the ground had moved under his feet. “Isn’t it pretty here?” Vanitas nodded numbly, suddenly at a loss for words. The way the lights reflected in the bright blue of Cole’s eyes was... almost hypnotizing. Then he blinked and looked away. Was his face red? He was blushing...? Vanitas felt his heart rising in his chest, fluttering against his ribcage. 

“There you are,” Mary’s sharp voice cut through the crowd. She marched over to them, head held proudly as her pastel pink dress bounced with every step. “Step lively now, it’s almost time for the show. The others are already in their seats.”

Vanitas tilted his head. “Show?” Cole chirped. 

Mary gave a sly smile. “Of course. It is the Royal Doulton Music Hall after all. What else would you do here?” She took Cole’s arm in hers and marched them towards the Music Hall. Vanitas scurried along with them, still holding Cole’s hand. He didn’t notice the sudden lack of pain in his stomach. He was too busy trying not to loose Cole. 

It was dark in the theatre but Vanitas could easily see the ornate design of it. Everything was golds and velvets, it was honestly beautiful. Mary sat Cole and him down on the far side of the children, near the middle of the row. Cole gladly took the seat next to the smallest child, who was playing with a stuffed giraffe. Vanitas fidgeted in his seat, taking his hat off and holding it in his lap. 

There was an anxiety in the room, a low buzzing of many people talking in hushed voices and the musicians individually tuning their instrument. The lights started dimming and Vanitas felt Cole squeeze his hand. He hadn’t even realized they were still touching. He looked over at him, barely seeing Cole’s grin in the dark. 

Then a bright spotlight shone onto the stage. When Vanitas blinked the spots out of his eyes he saw Jack standing up there with a bright blue suit and a top hat that matched. 

Jack clicked his heels together and started talking in a loud voice. Vanitas missed the first part, mostly due to Jack’s outfit standing out against the red curtain so much it made him dizzy. “Welcome to our show of shows!” Jack finished. “It is my great honor to introduce, the one, the only, Mary Poppins!” 

A spotlight clicked on over her head as a chorus of strings started playing a tune. Vanitas suddenly found himself wondering if this had been planned or.... Oh. Oh no. This was one of those singing worlds wasn’t it? Vanitas felt like his heart went into fight or flight mode but chose to freeze instead. There was no way in hell he was going to sing. Not one way. 

Mary went up onto the stage as the crowd roared in applause. Jack and... several penguins that were peeking out from behind the curtain convincer her to sing something. “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly....” She started then smirked. “Only if one of our ‘out of town’ friends joins in.” Her eyes were fixed on Cole. 

Cole shook his head, looking considerably more pale than he’d been before. But Jack leapt off the stage and pulled him to his feet. Vanitas felt Cole’s hand slip out of his. He was about to reach up and yank Cole back down, even leave if they had to, but Jack whispered something into his ear that made Cole’s face light up. “Really?” Cole gasped. Jack nodded, a proud smirk on his face. Cole shyly nodded. “Okay then....” He looked back at Vanitas. “Be right back Vani. It’s a princess kind of song.” He grinned and winked, letting Jack pull him onto the stage. 

Vanitas slowly slumped in his seat. Great... a princess song.... He grit his teeth preparing himself to head about love and dreams and such. This would be painful, but less so... since he actually liked hearing Cole sing. At least Cole would be having fun. 

The orchestra started playing a tune as the curtain rose and Mary stepped behind a stage prop that looked like an open book. She started singing about an... uncle... who liked to read. “The memory of his volumes brings a smile~ He would read me lots of stories! When he wasn’t on the sauce.” Vanitas blinked. Was she insinuating that...? A small smile slipped onto his face. 

The book prop rose and suddenly Mary was dressed in a frilly purple and pink dress with a fancy bowler hat and a cane. Her accent changed as she sang, “A cover is not the book so open it up and take a look! Cuz under the covers one discovers that the king may be a crook. Chapter titles are like signs and if you read between the lines, you’ll find your first impression was mistook! For a cover is nice... but a cover is not the book!” 

The penguin chorus picked up there, singing notes instead of words. Vanitas felt his eyebrows go up. This was... new. This song was actually... not painful. 

Mary kept singing as she danced around a tree. “Although her trunk up top was barren, her roots were lush and green.” Was that... no way...! Vanitas bit back a nervous smirk. This was very new. “He took root, despite her bark, and now there’s seedlings everywhere~!” Blossoms bloomed in the tree’s branches, spreading petals across the stage. “Which proves~”

Jack and Cole appeared from behind a bench on the stage, each dressed in purple and pink suits with hats that matched Mary’s and grinning like they were on a caffeine high as they joined in with her song. “A cover is not the book, so open it up and take a look! Cuz under the covers one discovers~ that the king may be a crook!”

Jack leapt off the raised platform, striding across the stage. “Chapter titles are like signs~!”

Mary twirled to stand next to him, a smug look on her face as her eyes drifted over Vanitas. “And if you read between the lines, you’ll find your first impression was mistook!” Vanitas felt a small chill run up his spine, even more so then when Giselle had sung at him in New York. Mary’s eyes flicked towards Cole. Read between the lines... of Cole...?

Cole jumped down, landing next to Mary. “Oh yes!” He tipped his hat at Mary before turning to look out at the theatre. 

The three of them did some kind of fancy footwork as they kept singing. “For a cover is nice, but a cover is not the book!”

“Shall we do the one about he wealthy widow?” Jack proposed. That... was part of the song right?

“Oh by all means...!” Mary chirped, stepping backwards. 

“Always loved that one.”

“Well go on then.” Mary and Cole stepped behind Jack, as he stepped forward, chest puffed out with his cane slung over his shoulder. 

Jack flashed a grin and started his part. “Lady, highest of the court, brought all her treasures to a reef.”

Mary popped her head over his shoulder. “Where she only wore a smile~”

“Plus two feathers and a leaf!” Jack’s eyes widened in mock shock. Cole’s face appeared from behind him, his mouth covered in a mock gasp. “So no one tried to rob her cuz she barely wore a stitch.”

Mary and Cole jumped forwards to stand aligned with Jack. “But when you’re in your birthday suit there ain’t much there to show you’re rich!” And they slipped back into the chorus again. 

This time when they stepped apart, Cole was in the middle. Mary leaned forward and nudged him with her cane. “Oh, give us the one about the dirty rascal, why don’t ya?”

“Isn’t that one a bit long?” Jack asked, quirking his head to the side as he cocked his hips too. 

“Well the quicker you’re into it, the quicker you’re out of it.” Mary shrugged, laying her arm on Cole’s shoulder. Jack mirrored her on his other shoulder. There was a sharp clacking sound as Mary and Jack tapped their canes on the ground, stepping back as Cole stepped forward, leaning on his cane. 

“Once upon a time, in a nursery rhyme, there was a castle with a king, hiding in a wing. Cuz he never went to school to learn a single thing! He had sectors and swords and a parliament of lords, but on the inside he was sad! Egad!” He hopped backwards as the penguins, who were dressed in tuxedos... apparently, scurried around him, leaning in intensely. “Cuz He never had a wisdom for numbers, a wisdom for words! Though his crown was quite immense, his brain was smaller than a birds!” Cole glanced down at the penguins and gave a semi sheepish, semi apologetic grin. 

Cole leapt backwards, hopping onto a raised platform. He twirled and leaned against a large block next to him. “So the queen of the nation made a royal proclamation!” He used a high squeaky voice that Vanitas couldn’t quite understand to quote the Queen. 

The little head wobble he used reminded Vanitas of the queen of hearts from Wonderland. Vanitas blinked. Wait. Wonderland...? He.. he hadn’t been to Wonderland.... “for the queen had their heads removed and placed upon the gate!” That was right though.... He knew that. How did he know that? Sure, he’d heard some of the others, Xehanort’s minions, talking about it, but he couldn’t remember going himself. Maybe Ventus... no, he would have sent his unversed there if that world had been open when Ventus was running around. But then, where had he seen the queen of...-?

Vanitas blinked, suddenly realizing he’d missed part of the song. Cole was suddenly on a different part of the stage, leaning over a book shaped block. “But this fool had some rules they really ought to tech in schools! Like you’ll be a happy king if you enjoy the things you got! And you should never try to be the kind of the person that you’re not! So they sang and they laughed for the king had found a friend! And they ran onto a rainbow for the story’s perfect end!” 

Cole leapt over the book, leaning close to one of the penguins that had popped up on the edge of the book as he landed. “So the moral of the story is you mustn’t let the outside be the guide, for it's not so cut and dry.”

Jack appeared on the opposite side of the stage, leaning over a book himself. “Well unless it’s Dr. Jekyll, then you better hide. Petrified!”

Cole gestured with his arm, appearing to snatch the spotlight back, a wide grin on his face and an excited light in his eyes. “No, the truth can’t be denied, as I now have testified! All that really counts and matters is the special stuff inside~” Cole flattened his hand over his chest, leaning forward on his cane. He flashed a grin at Jack as Mary burst out of the castle prop at the back of the stage. 

The three of them converged in the center of the stage, singing the chorus and finishing off the song with a flourish, spinning their canes around their arms and twirling in place. “A cover is not the book~!” They finished with a flashy pose, with Mary looking smug and satisfied, Jack looking like he was enjoying just being there, and Cole looking both elated and relieved. He was breathing hard. Vanitas rose with the crowd, applauding, though he felt a little silly. 

Cole slipped off the stage, trotting back over to Vanitas. He was in the light blue suit again, grinning from ear to ear. “Looked like you had fun....” Vanitas couldn’t help the small smile that slipped onto his face. 

Cole blushed and nodded, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah.... That felt pretty great.” Mary appeared behind him, making Cole jump as she dropped a hand on his shoulder. 

“Well, I am glad you enjoyed yourself. I certainly did. Though I believe it’s time for Jack and I to leave. We have children to attend to.” She looked behind her at the empty seats. Where did the brats go?! But Mary smiled and tilted her head back. “The two of you are welcome to stay though. And might I just say....” She leaned in, whispering very softly. “Meeting keyblade wielders always turns out a fun night.” She giggled softly and straightened up. “I trust you two can find your way out when you’re done, so take your time.” She turned on her heel and started marching away. 

“Wait a second...!” Vanitas called after her. She looked over her shoulder at him, a sly smirk on her lips. “What did you mean... with that line...? Do you know something?”

Mary clicked her tongue. “It’s hardly a matter if I know something. It matters if you can recall.” She turned and threw a wave over her shoulder. “Ta now~.” And with that, she was gone. 

 

Cole asked if they could look at the gardens before they left, so Vanitas agreed. They walked silently through the flowerbeds. Vanitas wasn’t looking at the flowers as much as he was looking at Cole’s reactions to them. 

He shone with that gentle glowing light that Vanitas had grown to used to. It was hardly the blindingly bright shine that he had come to expect from keyblade wielders, those who’s light tore through shadows and purged the worlds of darkness. Cole’s light was softer, not quite darker, no it wasn’t that. Cole’s light was... oh. That was it. If the others shone like suns, Cole glowed like the moon. No wonder. Vanitas felt a dry laugh slip out of his throat before he could stop it. 

Cole looked up at him, tilting his head. “Hmm? What’s up?” He withdrew his hand from the red flower that looked like an explosion that he was trying to smell. 

Vanitas felt a smile slip onto his lips. “I think I finally figured out why your keyblade is called Dancing Moonlight.” He squatted down next to Cole, who was kneeling neatly next to the flower bed. Vanitas tilted his head, smirking as Cole blinked at him curiously. “Your light… it shines like the moon. You’re a light in the darkness that doesn’t try to destroy it.” 

Cole giggled, his lips twisting into a badly suppressed grin. “Yeah, that’s exactly it.” He smiled fondly at the flower. “Stella said that a keyblade can sort of... foretell it’s wielder’s... destiny... or their purpose or whatever, something like that....” He giggled a little and looked up at Vanitas again. “And turns out... it’s easy to be someone’s light when you know the darkness they’re trying not to drown in.” He grinned slightly. “You’re not drowning anymore, right?”

Vanitas blinked. That was.... His hand drifted up to hover over his heart. He could feel it, beating in his chest like... it was really there. He’d been drowning...? Yeah. He guessed he had been. Vanitas smiled, feeling a light feeling in his chest. It didn’t hurt any more... just to exist. He laughed softly, leaning forward and touching his head against Cole’s. “Yeah. I’m alright now.” 

Cole giggled softly, his lips pulling into a smile. Suddenly... Vanitas felt like he wanted to... what...? What was it he was supposed to do? What was it that he was supposed to want to do? Vanitas felt like something was tugging at his heart, urging, pulling him closer. He felt something flutter nervously against his ribs. Then Cole pulled back. And the moment was gone. 

Vanitas blinked and looked up at Cole as he suddenly stood up. He wasn’t looking back at him. “So uh... are you ready to go...? It’s... getting pretty quiet around here.” 

Vanitas slowly stood up. He took it back. His heart still hurt. It was different now though. He looked at Cole’s back, seeing the light of his heart fluttering, flickering. Did... did he do that...? Or was it Cole? Vanitas stepped forward, ready to... trying to.... He stopped. The moment was gone. Even if the feelings remained, the moment was gone. Vanitas grit his teeth and balled up all those emotions, pushing them out of his chest and into an unversed. Before it even had the chance to form, he pushed it away, into another world. 

“Yeah. Let’s go before the show let’s out and we get stampeded.” He stepped forward, raising his hand and summoning a corridor. 

Cole blinked, jumping a little. Apparently he hadn’t expected such a quick exit. “Oh...! Okay...!” He scratched his cheek, still not meeting Vanitas’s eyes. “Sorry....”

Vanitas grit his teeth. Now that all those emotions were gone, pushed into the unversed, the void they’d left was filled with other emotions. These he knew well irritation, confusion, and a touch of possessiveness. He felt tension run though his shoulders, practically feeling himself bristle. He snatched Cole’s hand, spinning him around so they were face to face. 

Cole’s eyes went wide, reflecting his silhouette with the hanging lights behind him. Vanitas pushed back the edge to his voice, trying not to growl. “Don’t apologize for something that’s not your fault.” Vanitas wasn’t sure what Cole was apologizing for exactly, but he hadn’t /done/ anything! 

Cole’s face went strikingly pale, then distinctly red. He stammered for a moment before Vanitas’s grip on his hand loosened enough for him to slip his hand out. Cole stepped backwards, a very prominent blush on his face and... damn tears in his eyes? Vanitas took a step forward, instantly regretting everything. He should have-

“I’m sorry...!” Cole squeaked, hands flying to cover his face. “I almost kissed you! Oh lux I almost... I’m so sorry...!” Cole spun around and ran straight into the corridor. 

Vanitas felt his heart try to rise and drop simultaneously. Wait. Kiss? Wait. Cole?! Vanitas felt every other emotion battling inside him get completely engulfed with panic in an instant. Cole had never used a corridor with out him! That was dangerous! Cole wasn’t from the darkness. He wasn’t immune to the corridor’s dangers! Vanitas felt his body moving before he even told it to. He dove forward into the corridor with a emotion he couldn’t name filling his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeheehee! I’ve been waiting to write this chapter for a while~ >:3c I’ve wanted this song in here for a long time! I just so happy! Also it was much longer than I was intending... =3=
> 
> And Ono! The end has a sudden feels train! O,O 
> 
> :} heeheeheeheehee~
> 
> Let me know what y’all think and if any theories you have.  
> Seriously all the comments on the last chapter were so amazing and sweet and make me blush and grin so much!! ///v/// <3


	14. Hawaii

Vanitas stumbled out of the corridor in a panic. There wasn’t any sign of Cole within the passage way, he had to be here, on the other side or else... no. He had to be here. Vanitas’s eyes darted around, frantically scanning the tree line for any sign of his other. But all he saw was trees and ferns and flowers. The sun shone down on him like it was trying to blind him. He couldn’t find him. Vanitas bit the inside of his lip so hard he tasted blood. His eyes hurt from more than just the sunlight. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. 

Memories of being ripped apart flooded over him, making his shoulders shake. This... this hurt. He felt... maybe remembered, maybe felt it happing again... he felt his heart being taken apart, piece by piece. Vanitas’s hand flew up to clutch at his heart. 

The fancy suit was gone, putting him back in the sleeveless hoodie and shorts he’d worn on the Destiny Islands. He hardly noticed it though. He was trying too hard to bite back the agonizing scream that was building in his throat. Vanitas forced it into a word instead. “Cole!” His voice, tasting ragged and raw as it ripped itself out of his throat, echoed around him for a long moment. 

Vanitas felt his breath catch in his throat. Then, he saw something spark to like above the trees. It was a fire spell, shot straight up like a flare. Vanitas’s feet started moving before he could even think. He moved so quickly he hardly noticed the cliff before his foot slipped off the edge. 

Vanitas’s hand caught on a tree branch, jolting to a stop. He took a couple deep breaths and actually looked at the world around him. He was hanging over the edge of a cliff. It didn’t go straight down, but it was a dangerously steep angle and the dirt was loose. Below him he saw skid marks leaving a path between the trees. It would be almost impossible to stop if someone slipped. Vanitas let out a sigh of relief. Cole must have slid down the slope before he knew what was even happening. He really needed to work on his battle reflexes. 

Vanitas let out a long breath, swinging himself to land on a tree trunk that below him. He’d work his was down like this. He jumped down onto another tree, landing hard enough to shake it. Vanitas grit his teeth as a sharp feeling ran up his leg. He remembered hurting his ankle back in the Dwarf Woodlands. That seemed like so long ago. It was a mistake he wouldn’t make again. This time Vanitas took a smaller jump. He worked his way down the steep slope, ignoring the still present anxiety that scratched at the base of his spine like a caged animal. Vanitas took another deep breath. This was fine. This was going to be fine. Cole would be just fine, if a little beat up and shaken from the tumble, and waiting for him at the bottom of the cliff. Then they could just... talk things out. Yeah. Everything would be just fine. 

 

When Vanitas finally made it to the bottom of the /very/ tall cliff, he saw signs of battle. There were scorch marks on the ground and still melting ice covering a nearby tree. There were deep gouges in the ground and the smell of darkness in the air. There was no sign of Cole. Vanitas stumbled forward, turning in every direction, panic rising in his chest. Cole had to be here. He had to be.... He- Vanitas’s foot slipped on something. He whirled around and saw an impression in the ground. It... it looked like a very large, not human footprint. It was mostly round, with three large toes. 

Vanitas felt something crawling up his throat. He couldn’t panic. He had to stay calm. He had to.... He saw something shining from underneath a fern. Vanitas felt his heart drop as numbness crawled through his veins. Slowly, numbly, he walked over to the fern. He pulled back the leaves and saw... Moonlight, laying in the shadow of the plant. It glowed softly at him, almost sadly. Vanitas knelt down and gently picked it up. It was still warm. And it’s light hadn’t died. It wasn’t the dead shell of a keyblade, like those that populated the keyblade graveyard. That meant Cole was alive. 

Vanitas felt a wave of emotions roll over him, filling his heart enough to feel it again. He clutched Cole’s keyblade to his chest, taking deep breaths. He had to think. Cole had been here, fighting something pretty hard, less than half an hour ago. There wasn’t any blood on the ground, which meant he hadn’t been hurt that badly, probably. So something, probably what had made that footprint, had captured him and carried him off. But what? And why?

Vanitas heard leaves rustling from over head. He rose, holding Dancing Moonlight in his left hand as he summoned Dark Heart to his right. A small part of him noted how similar that was to Cole’s style. But Vanitas didn’t hold Moonlight in a reverse grip. 

Something dark dropped from the branches overhead. Vanitas tightened his grip on his keyblades. A small blue... creature looked up at him and blinked. It... wasn’t an unversed. But it looked familiar. It had large ears and big black eyes that held a kind of intelligence in them. It stood up on its hind legs and pointed a clawed finger at Vanitas... no, at the keyblades.... 

“Friend! Friend circle!” The creature jumped up and down excitedly. Vanitas blinked. This creature knew about keyblades...? It recognized them as friends.... Then it clicked. Vanitas recognized him. He’d seen it through his unversed’s eyes. This creature was Experiment 626. Ventus and his friends had run into it on their journey. 

Vanitas slowly lowered his keyblades, letting their tips rest against the ground. “You... I didn’t expect to see you again....” What was he supposed to say to it?

Experiment 626 waddled forward. It didn’t look like it was going to attack him, so Vanitas let it. 626 put one clawed hand on the edge of Cole’s keyblade. “Friend... caught.” It seemed to stumble over the words, though not as much as it had before. “Was helping... Stitch got... flown away.” Its ears dropped, looking sad and... almost guilty. “Gantu caught friend and cousin....” It raised its head, looking up at Vanitas with big eyes. “Will help?”

It took Vanitas a moment to completely understand what 626 was saying. ‘Friend’ was... Cole. It had to be. Then ‘Gantu’, probably the thing that made the footprint, had captured Cole and ‘cousin.’ Now 626 was asking for Vanitas’s help to rescue them. Vanitas felt a spark of hope mixed with determination. “You want me to help rescue them?” 626 nodded, making a small sound. Vanitas nodded. “I need to get Cole back. But what is ‘Stitch’?” 

626 blinked, then pointed at itself. “Am... Stitch.” Oh. So it had a proper name now. Suddenly, Stitch tilted his head, looking off into the trees. “Lilo!” He turned and bounced off into the trees. Stitch’s head popped out of the leaves. “This way!” Then he disappeared into the foliage again. Vanitas took a step after him, then stopped. 

This could end up... badly. If 626... Stitch found out that he was the cause of the unversed... well Vanitas remembered exactly how hard the little thing could hit. Vanitas grit his teeth and rolled his shoulder, memories of pain making his back ache. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. He had to get Cole back. Vanitas followed after Stitch. 

 

When they finally stepped out of the trees, seriously this world had too many trees, Vanitas saw Stitch run up to a young girl and start babbling frantically at her. There was a house off to one side that looked more like a castle with all its spires and tacked on rooms. Vanitas glanced down at the keyblades still in his hands. He should probably... put those away. He dispelled Dark Heart but stopped with Moonlight. That was Cole’s keyblade. He didn’t have the power to dispel it. And even if he did, the gentle light and warmth of it under his fingers was comforting. 

The sudden swell of emotion brought a thought to his mind. If he was feeling so much... why hadn’t any unversed formed? He thought that Cole had been suppressing their summoning. But... apparently- Vanitas felt Moonlight grow a little warmer under his hand. Oh, of course. Moonlight was a part of Cole’s heart. It must have the same effect as Cole. Vanitas felt himself smiled slightly. That thought made him feel a little better. 

A movement caught his attention and Vanitas looked up, seeing that Stitch had returned, bringing the little girl with him. She stared up at him with wide eyes. Her hair was long and black and she looked like she spent a good part of every day in the sun. She examined him carefully, like she was suspicious. 

Stitch pointed to Moonlight and garbled out a string of words Vanitas couldn’t understand. Then he managed the words, “Friend circle. Help friend.” 

The girl tilted her head thoughtfully, then smiled. “Hi there. My name’s Lilo. What’s yours?” She stuck out her hand like she was asking Vanitas to shake it. She was... very small. 

Vanitas knelt down, digging Moonlight’s tip into the dirt. He took her hand and shook it carefully. “Vanitas.” He hesitated. “I’m looking for my... my friend Cole. Si- Stitch here....” He looked over at Stitch. “He says he and ‘cousin’ were taken by ‘Gantu’...?”

Lilo nodded. “Yeah! His a big stupid head who keeps trying to catch Stitch’s cousins! He probably took them to his ship.” She turned and pointed. “Out there in the jungle. Jumba said that he’s almost finished with the tracker.” She turned back to stare up at Vanitas. He blinked at her. Was he supposed to say something? “You have pretty eyes.” She said matter of factly. “Red’s a nice color.”

Vanitas blinked, tilting his head. “Um... thanks...?” He... wasn’t sure how to respond to that. So he just straightened up as a tall green... person came scrambling out of the house. 

The person, who had one eye and three legs stuck onto a stick shaped body. “Hah. Hah. Here.” He offered out a small box to Lilo. 

She took it and beamed up at him. “Thanks Pleakley.” She looked down at the small box. “How do I use it?”

The green... Pleakley straightened up, looking proud. “Well, first you scan whatever it is you want to track here. Then you track it.” 

Vanitas felt his heart drop. “A lot of good that’s gonna do when we’re trying to find him. Why would we ever need to track down something we have with us...?!” He balled his fist in his hair, feeling his emotions rising in his chest. He tightened his grip against Moonlight’s grip. 

Pleakley straightened up, putting his hands on his hips. “And who are you?” Vanitas felt himself grit his teeth. 

“Van’tas.” Stitch chirped. 

Vanitas’s head snapped towards him so fast he felt it pop. “What...,” he breathed. Did... did he just call him Ventus...? There’s no way. He couldn’t know. 

“Van’tas...?” Stitch said again, tilting his head. “Frien Van’tas.”

Vanitas felt all his breath escape at once. Oh. He just couldn’t pronounce the i in his name. “Right....” He pressed the heel his hand against his forehead. Maybe stopping the unversed from forming was a bad idea. If he didn’t have all these emotions clouding his mind he could think better. 

Pleakley cleared his throat, turning back to Lilo. “Well Jumba said that scanning anything related to this person would work.” He tapped a finger against his mouth. “A scrap of cloth... some hair... shoe maybe?”

Vanitas’s eyes drifted down to Moonlight. Could that...? “Would this work?” He held out Moonlight, feeling all eyes turn to him. “It’s Cole’s. It’s... hard to explain... but it’s part of him... his heart.”

Pleakley looked skeptical, but Lilo excitedly bounced over and pressed the device against Moonlight’s shaft. The box made a whirring noise and a display appeared above it. A holographic map burst to life, showing their location with a black dot and... Cole, highlighted with a blue dot. Vanitas felt his heart soar. 

“It worked!” Lilo cried, a wide smile spreading across her face. “Now all we have to do is-...” She looked around. “Stitch...?”

Vanitas blinked and looked up. The little blue creature was nowhere to be seen. But, a moment later a bright red hover car soared into view, with Stitch behind the wheel. He cackled and honked the horn. Vanitas felt a tug on his hand. Looking down he saw Lilo pulling on him. “Come on. We gotta go save your friend and Stitch’s cousin...!”

“Ah- hold it...!” Pleakley squawked. Vanitas grinned and happily ignored him, vaulting into the back seat of the car as Lilo scrambled into the seat next to Stitch. 

“Hit it,” she said, a smirk on her face as she pulled a pair of sunglasses on. Stitch cackled as he stomped on the gas, sending them flying into the trees. Vanitas leaned up to watch as their black dot got closer to Cole’s. He tightened his grip around Moonlight’s grip. He’d smugly enjoy giving it back to Cole. 

 

They skidded to a stop just behind the tree line, Stitch setting the hovercraft down gently. Vanitas leapt out of the car, landing in a crouch. Lilo and Stitch scrambled out after him, peering over the leaves at a downed ship. The ship was all black, looking a little like an insect. It was thoroughly embedded in a ditch that looked like it’d been made when it crashed. 

“That’s Gantu’s ship...,” Lilo hissed. “He probably has his prisoners inside....”

“How do we get in?” Vanitas murmured. His shoulders were shivering with tension. He wanted to bust straight in there and start breaking things. 

“There should be a window we can crawl through....” Lilo started creeping around the edge. “

Vanitas blinked. “Wait. I can make a door.” Several conflicting thoughts ran through his head. A corridor could work, but he had no idea how it’d effect Lilo or Stitch. He’d thought it might kill Cole the first time he’d used one with him. Vanitas bit his lip. “Just... might be a little flashy....”

Lino’s eyes widened in excitement. Who let this child be around dangerous stuff? Stitch made a chirping noise, pointing at the ship. Vanitas blinked, watching as a door opened and a small tan creature waddled out of the ship. It didn’t pay them any mind as it walked off into the forest. 

“He left the door open. We can get in that way,” Lilo whispered. She crept forwards with Stitch scurrying along beside her. Vanitas blinked, looking after where the creature had gone. Had... had it meant to leave the door open...? Vanitas shook his head, deciding that the inhabitants of this world knew its workings better than he did. If they thought it was safe, it must be. Probably. Vanitas followed along behind them, creeping into the ship. 

 

The ‘big stupid head,’ as Stitch dubbed him, was pacing around a room, grumbling to himself. The room was mostly empty, but there was a massive chair, stupid head sized, and a computer console. Vanitas recognized the design from the ship he’d sent his unversed to. And in one corner of the room was a glass case, standing upright with something leaning against it. That was Cole! He was okay! Vanitas felt the tension practically deflate from his shoulders. Cole looked a little beat up and there was dirt caked on the back of his hoodie, but he was okay enough to look annoyed. 

Vanitas almost charged into the room, but Lilo grabbed his hand. “Wait. I think they’re talking.” Vanitas blinked, listening a little closer. They were talking. 

“Look dude, the glass case is a bit overkill, don’t you think? I mean you already stepped on me, this is just insulting,” Cole sighed in a snarky tone. He was facing away from them so Vanitas couldn’t see his face. 

The giant, who must have been Gantu, whirled around, pressing one finger against the glass tube. “You are not getting out of there until you tell me where the experiment went.”

Cole groaned loudly, throwing his head back. “I’m telling you...! I have no idea what you’re talking about! I saw you trying to step on two small and fluffy things and stopped it. I don’t know where it went!”

“It was in the bag I bought you in!” Gantu threw his hands in the air and spun around. “Or it was supposed to be...,” he growled, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Maybe...! It can teleport!” Cole waved his hands in the air sarcastically. Despite the situation, Vanitas was proud, and more than a little amused. Cole had some bite to him after all, who knew? Lilo tugged on his hand again, pulling Vanitas along as they crept into the room. They ducked behind a couple crates, slinking closer to the case Cole was in. Stitch just crawled up the wall and along the ceiling. 

Gantu growled something, then froze. In an instant, he spun around, blaster in hand, and fired a shot at the ceiling. Stitch yelped as he was flung off the ceiling, colliding with a wall. Gantu chuckled darkly as he aimed his blaster at Stitch. “There you are... abomination....” Vanitas felt his jaw clench as a sudden burst of rage boiled in his gut. 

“Stitch...!” Lilo cried. Before Vanitas could react, she leapt out from behind the crates and ran across the room, kicking Gantu’s giant foot. “Leave him alone you big dummy!”

Vanitas watched with horror as Gantu picked Lilo up by the hair. She swung wildly at him, to no effect. Gantu laughed darkly as he stepped across the room, dropping Lilo into another glass case. “Stay there a moment. I have unfinished business with the monster.” He turned back to Stitch, moving towards him until he planted his foot on top of him. Vanitas felt a chill run down his spine as he realized that Gantu was going to crush him. 

Cole was yelling something, pounding his fists against the glass. Of course...! No wonder he hadn’t broken out, or summoned Moonlight back. The glass case was much too small to summon a keyblade, much less use one. So... it was up to Vanitas. He grit his teeth, stepping out from behind the crates as another emotion welled up inside him. He held Moonlight in front of him, ready to defend. “Hey! Stupid head!” He shouted, ripping Dark Heart into existence. The grip felt natural under his bare hand, which was different than before. 

Gantu froze, then turned to look at him. “Not another one! You freaks with those funny looking sticks keep coming out of nowhere to ruin my day! But not today.” He leveled his blaster at Vanitas’s chest. “I’m feeling generous, so I’ll give you a choice. Leave now. Or I’ll blast you.”

Vanitas almost laughed. As if! But... this situation wasn’t looking too good. He wasn’t sure he could take him alone, at least not without someone getting hurt. Vanitas glanced towards Cole. Maybe if he wasn’t alone.... And that feeling was still rising inside him. Vanitas smirked, dropping into a fighting stance, keyblade in each hand held at the ready. “I’m not leaving without my friend.” 

Gantu scoffed. “Fine. Have it your way....” 

The world seemed to slow down. Vanitas saw Gantu start to squeeze the trigger. He grit his teeth, turning his attention to the unversed that was itching to get out. This one he recognized. He was sure Gantu would too. That’d throw him off... give him more time. The feeling of being pulled in too many directions created an unversed that could rise to meet that. Vanitas wrapped his will around the agitated unversed, dug his heels in and /pulled/.

In an instant, a fully formed squid launched itself out of Vanitas’s shadow, arcing over his head, only to slam full force into Gantu’s face, knocking him off balance. Gantu squeezed the trigger of his blaster, but Vanitas was already moving. He locked eyes with Cole and shouted, “Duck!” Cole dropped like a marionette with its strings cut, slamming against the floor in an instant. Vanitas leapt over another burning blaster shot. He spun in the air, bringing Dark Heart around in an arc. He flung magic from the tip, creating a blade of dark energy that sliced straight through the glass case. 

Vanitas landed on his feet, catching his breath. Cole vaulted out of the perfectly cut glass case, bringing Stars up in front of him. “Okay... that was very cool...!” He was grinning like a madman, rocking back and forth on his heels. 

Vanitas couldn’t help the swell of pride that rose in his chest, replacing the hole the unversed had left. “You get the girl! I got the big guy....” Vanitas smirked as Cole let out a sharp laugh. 

“Yes sir!” Cole darted off to one side, dodging Gantu’s erratic blaster shots as he made his way around the room to Lilo. 

Vanitas stepped forward, batting away another blaster shot on reflex. Oh good. They were deflectable. 

“You...!” Gantu growled. “They were all your fault...! My pride... my job...! I lost everything because of you and these creatures...!” Gantu ripped the squid off his face, throwing it onto the ground and stomping on it. Thankfully, that didn’t kill it. That would have hurt a lot. The squid started wrapping its tendrils up Gantu’s leg. Vanitas mentally ordered it not to pull just yet. 

Vanitas felt a smirk spread across his face. Time to do a Cole and stall. “Yeah... the unversed are mine. But honestly....” He took another step forward. “I can’t take all the credit. My /friends/ helped quite a lot. It didn’t hurt that you were a lousy-“ He deflected another blaster shot. 

Gantu took another step forward. “You....” He was shaking with rage. “I’ll destroy you for-“ Suddenly, he pitched backwards. Vanitas gave the squid a mental command, as easy as if he was moving his own arm, and the squid wrapped around Gantu’s body, pinning his arms to his sides. 

Stitch cackled as he hefted the big brute over his head. “Put me down...!” Gantu roared as he thrashed. “You filthy abomination...!”

Stitch cackled again. “Also cute and fluffy!” Gantu barely had time to look surprised before Stitch swung him around and threw him through the front window. 

Vanitas ducked his head down, trying to see how far he flew. It wasn’t far, but he’d landed a good ways up the mountain.... An instant later pain erupted throughout his stomach. Vanitas grit his teeth as he doubled over, shaking as he forced himself not to fall to his knees. The landing had killed the squid. Vanitas bit back a groan, his vision swimming. It felt like liquid metal was burning its way through his gut, forming barbed wire as it went. Vanitas felt like he might pass out. It wouldn’t be the first time. The squid had been big, and that death was anything but pleasant. After a moment, he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. 

Cole gently guided him down to his knees. Vanitas heard him talking softly, meaningless words... but it was comforting. Ever so slowly, Vanitas felt the pain fading. He let out a sigh and slumped against Cole, letting out a choked off, “Ow....”

Cole laughed softly, petting his hair. “Guess potions don’t work... well it was worth a shot.” He smiled down at Vanitas. “Thanks for saving me.”

Vanitas made a ‘humph’ sound and pressed his face against Cole’s shoulder. He was really warm.... Vanitas felt like he’d been wrapped in a warm blanket. That was a feeling he never remembered actually experiencing, but he was sure that this was what it felt like. A small clawed hand fell on his knee. Vanitas cracked his eye open to see Stitch and Lilo staring up at him. 

“Van’tas... okay?” Stitch asked, tilting his head worriedly. Cole made a squawking sound, that Vanitas elected to ignore for the moment. 

“Yeah... I’ll be fine. Just... ow.” 

Cole made a small ‘oh’ sound. 

Vanitas debated sitting up, but decided he was quite happy right where he was. “Did you find your ‘cousin’...?”

Stitch’s ears drooped as he shook his head. “Well...,” Lilo chirped, “At least Gantu didn’t get him.”

Cole chuckled softly. “Weeeelllll... actually....” He shifted slightly. Vanitas reluctantly sat up. Cole smiled as he unzipped the front of his hoodie. “I’m not sure if it’s who you think it is, but....” A small head poked out of Cole’s jacket. Vanitas felt something similar to dread was over him. That was an unversed. That was the unversed he’d sent away from the Doulton Hall...! That was the unversed with all his longing and yearning feelings from that /fucking moment/ when he was gonna...-! Vanitas felt all the blood drop out of his face. 

The unversed was small, vaguely cat shaped. And... honestly it looked like a very small copy of the breed that spawned from his anxiety, sharp head and nose, long spindly arms and legs, and antenna. But this unversed was molded several different colors, looking like it’d gone nuts in a paint shop. Blues, purples, silvers, and blacks covered its fur. It’s eyes were a normal red color, but it looked more intelligent than usual. The unversed squeaked and huddled against Cole’s chest, hiding its face against his collarbone. 

Cole patted its head gently. “It’s okay to pet him right?” Vanitas huffed and nodded. “Then... he’s one of yours then, right?” Vanitas nodded again. Cole hummed thoughtfully. “He’s very cuddly... and warm.” 

Vanitas let out a long breath. This was... fine. Cole didn’t know what emotions that the unversed was made of. There was no way he could know. Vanitas looked up at it just in time to see the unversed lick Cole’s lips. /Mother fu-/! 

Cole snorted, grinning as he pushed the unversed’s head down, wiping his lips on the back of his hand. “Now you’re just a friendly little guy aren’t ya?” He giggled. “My neighbor’s dog used to do the same thing.” He shot a playful glare down at the unversed. “I promise I haven’t eating anything you’d want.” 

Vanitas felt like slamming his head against something. He also felt like just melting into nothing on the spot. Then he felt Cole swat at his hair. Vanitas blinked and looked back at him. “And I have a couple question about that speech of yours. Something about making Mr. Space-Shark lose his job...?” He squinted at Vanitas. 

Vanitas felt his eye twitch. He was about to retort, when he remembered what had started this whole mess in the first place. “You ran into the corridor alone....” 

Cole blinked at him. “Huh?”

Vanitas shifted closer, pushing his face close to Cole’s even as he leaned back. “You ran into the corridor by yourself.... Do you have any idea how dangerous that is...?!”

Cole’s eyes went wide. “No...?” He squeaked. 

Vanitas grit his teeth, all the emotions of worry and panic rushing back all at once. “That was stupid and extremely dangerous! There are /things/ that live in the corridors...! Things that know that they should fear me, both because I’m strong and made of darkness. Those things would gladly devour you and your heart in an instant. So don’t ever... do that again.” At some point, Vanitas’s voice had dropped from raw and angry to low and cracking. He barely noticed the unversed’s sharp antenna digging into the skin just under his collarbone or the painful angle he’d pressed Cole into. 

“Okay...,” Cole squeaked, nodding as much as he could. Vanitas let out a sigh and sat up. When he actually looked at the position Cole was in, it looked painful. He was flat on his back, except his knees were still positioned like he was sitting in his knees. The unversed raised its head and hissed at him. Cole made a distressed mewling sound. “Vani... I’m stuck.” Vanitas rolled his eyes, pushing himself to his feet. Cole stuck a hand up in the air helplessly. Vanitas grabbed him and yanked him to his feet. 

A small sound drew Vanitas’s attention. Oh. Stitch and Lilo were still there. Oops. He’d forgotten all about them. They were huddled over something. Then Stitch turned and waddled towards Vanitas. “Friend...? Yes?” Oh. So he remembered the unversed too. 

Vanitas nodded. “Yeah. Friend... or friendly at least.” Stitch gave an affirmative huff and looked back at Lilo. She nodded and scooted forward. 

“Stitch says that squid thing used to be pretty bad. And I guess you were too.” She held up a book. On it was a rather crude outline drawing of Vanitas. It was colored in with red about half way, with a dotted line going through his head, about where his eyes would be. Lilo pointed at the dotted line. “Stitch guesses that your badness levels used to be up to here. But with what happened today....” She pointed at the colored in part. “I think it’s down to here now. So you’ve already had a lot of improvement!” She beamed up at him. 

Vanitas blinked, staring at the drawing, then at Lilo, then at Stitch. ...what...? Cole snorted, covering his mouth with his hand. “Aww...! That’s good Vani.” He nudged him with his elbow. “I like this system better than the traditional light and darkness scale.” He gave a lopsided grin, giggling to himself. 

Vanitas looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. He hung his head and shook it. “Yeah sure....” He side-eyed the unversed, watching it tighten its grip on Cole’s shirt, glaring back at him. “Great....”

 

Somehow he’d been talked into staying for a while. “It’s been a big couple of days Vani,” Cole had said, batting his eyelashes at him, which was... probably not on purpose. “Besides, this beach is better than the other island, right? And Lilo’s sister offered us their guest room, so we actually get to sleep in beds!”

Vanitas had... reluctantly agreed. So, nearly a week and a half later, he found himself more relaxed than he had been in a long time. He was laying on the beach, staring up at the clouds drifting lazily over head and listening to Cole play in the water. He was digging a hole in the wet sand with the unversed from /that moment/ which had stayed irritatingly close to him. Vanitas had tried several times to get rid of it, but Cole had smacked his hand away and pouted, curling around it protectively until Vanitas relented. 

The past week had given Vanitas plenty of time to think too, to get his thoughts in order about... everything that had happened. The replica, Ventus still sleeping in Sora’s heart, his feelings about himself, his feelings about Cole.... 

“Hey Vani!” Cole called. Vanitas slowly sat up. Cole stood by his feet, wearing a tank top, which the unversed had crawled inside, and shorts that were absolutely caked in sand. Vanitas raised an eyebrow, looking around. They were the only ones on the beach now. He wondered where Lilo and the others had gone. “Vani guess what?”

“What?” Vanitas looked back up at him. His hair was wet, sticking to his forehead and dripping water onto his shoulders. 

“I thought him a trick!” He grinned widely, pulling the unversed out of his tank top. “Stand up and I’ll show you.” Vanitas rolled to his feet, brushing sand off the back of his thighs. He straightened up, tilting his head. Cole shoved the unversed into his face. Vanitas blinked down at it. “Okay Sweetie~” Cole cooed. “Give Vani a kiss kiss!” 

Vanitas didn’t have any time to react before the unversed gave him a big lick. Vanitas coughed and sputtered as he leapt back, wiping the trail of slime off his lips. Cole was laughing, and the unversed seemed very pleased with itself too. Vanitas rubbed at his lips one more time, then straightened up. He could practically feel the dark aura forming around him. “You know... I’m allowed retribution now....”

Cole froze, eyes going wide, despite the grin still plastered across his face. Vanitas took one step towards Cole, raising his arm to grab him by the tank top straps. Cole spun around and bolted. Vanitas tore after him, kicking up sand. He was pretty sure he heard Cole laughing as he just barely stayed out of his reach. After a moment, the unversed apparently decided it didn’t like being jostled, since it leapt out of Cole’s arms. 

Cole stumbled a bit, but dodged Vanitas’s outstretched hand, ducking under his arm and racing back the other way. Vanitas dug his foot into the sand, plowing a small ditch in it, as he spun around and chased after Cole. Cole apparently decided the wet sand was better to run on, since he made a beeline for it, making a small yelp as he almost tripped over the hole he’d dug in the sand. Vanitas, for once thankful that he’d spent too long in islander Sora’s heart, used the apparently infectious skill of ‘running on sand good’ to catch up to Cole. He wrapped his arms around Cole’s waist as he slammed into him, sending them both sprawling as Cole’s foot slipped on the wet sand. 

Vanitas sat them up after a wave crashed over their heads, yanking Cole’s torso above water as he coughed and sputtered. He was still grinning though, so he was fine. Vanitas waited until Cole looked up at him, looking sheepish and a little mischievous, before he dove in. Vanitas drug his tongue over Cole’s cheek, leaving a slimy mark. Cole yelped and squirmed, laughing as he tried to push Vanitas off. 

Vanitas huffed, feeling smug and rather accomplished. “Revenge is sweet... and salty....” He stuck his tongue out. He didn’t expect to taste so much ocean water. 

Cole laughed so hard he snorted, rubbing at his cheek. “Okay...! Okay...! Revenge enacted.... Oh but it was so worth it....” He snickered, nudging Vanitas with his shoulder. Vanitas huffed and dropped his chin on top of Cole’s head. He tightened his arms around him, deliberately ignoring the heat rising to his face and in his chest. 

The unversed shrieked at them from its spot on the beach, looking impatient. Vanitas glared at it. He refused to be jealous of his own damned emotion. It had been closer to Cole than he’d been this past week, but that was going o change starting now. He would not be jealous of his own emotion damn it! 

Cole poked Vanitas’s cheek. “Vani...! Hey Vani...!”

Vanitas looked down at him, even as Cole pushed his finger into his cheek more, turning his head. “What?” Vanitas asked, glaring down Cole’s finger. 

“You got me soaked...!” Cole huffed. “Now my clothes are gonna dry funny again!”

Vanitas rolled his eyes, fighting off a smile. “Should have thought about that before you made my unversed lick me.”

Cole pouted. “But he likes to kiss kiss...!” His lips pulled into a grin a moment later. 

Vanitas sighed and rolled his eyes. Reluctantly, he stood up, letting go of Cole. “No unversed ‘kisses’.” Cole huffed, crossing his arms. Vanitas decided not to argue with him. 

 

A few days later, after Cole fought off a nasty sunburn, and Vanitas had made him soar with him at least a little, though he was pretty sure Cole was still holding back for some reason, they finally decided it was time to go. Cole stretched his arms above his head, yawning hugely. They’d said their goodbyes the previous night, deciding that leaving in the early morning would be best. They trekked a little ways into the forest, moving slowly in the early morning light. But, before too long, they found a little clearing to summon a corridor. 

Cole had a small skip in his step as he hummed a soft tune to himself. “Well... that was a lotta fun, wasn’t it Vani?” 

Vanitas hummed, extending his hand to open the corridor. “Yeah. It was,” he said honestly. 

Cole beamed at him. “I liked this one too. So many cute friends here.” He scratched the unversed’s head, who was sitting in the hood of his normal hoodie. Cole suggested that they change before they left, which wasn’t a bad plan. 

Vanitas hummed thoughtfully. He was not jealous. He extended his hand towards Cole. “Shall we?” Cole blinked at his hand, then took it. He beamed up at him, nodding. Vanitas felt his heart flutter as he stepped through the corridor with Cole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the last one were supposed to be short.... =-=
> 
> Oh well! Don’t know about y’all, but I’m rather happy about how this chapter turned out. 
> 
> Also, going off comments from last chapter, if anybody wants to discuss theories or anything without worrying about spoiling other people in the comments, feel free to shoot me an ask or message on my tumblr @mewhoismyself. I also have my writing blog @seer-of-soul but I barely use that one. (Oops)
> 
> Anyways, let me know what ya think! Am I driving ya nuts yet? >:Dc
> 
> (Cuz I’m driving myself nuts tbh. >_> )


	15. Arendelle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Spoiler Warning**
> 
>  
> 
> Spoiler Warning for Arendelle in KH3!  
> Again, not a really big spoiler warning, but just in case.

As soon as Cole’s foot was swallowed by the foot of snow, he knew that this was not going to be his day. He felt himself whimper as the snow closed around his leg and he wished with every fiber of his being that he’d put on his boots and pants instead of his tennis shoes and shorts. He heard the unversed give a disgruntled squawk and shove itself down the back of his jacket. Vanitas made a disgruntled noise too, looking at the snow like it’d offended him. When he finally looked at Cole, his eyes went wide. “I didn’t know you could frown that much...,” he mumbled. 

Cole sniffed, already feeling his nose starting to run. He grit his teeth and yanked his sleeves down over his hands. “I... I think I have a... couple coats in my... clothes.” He rubbed at his face, blinking as the cold seemed to be trying to freeze the water in his eyes. He bit his lip and pulled up his outfit boards. He didn’t have any heavy clothes saved, but it wasn’t too long before he was able to pick out a few items he’d gotten over the holidays. He pulled some out for Vanitas too, shoving a coat into his arms before wiggling into one of his own. 

In just a few moments, they were both situated with coats and boots and pants. Cole had even managed to get Vanitas to wear his blue Santa hat, though he didn’t look too happy about it. Cole pulled his hood low over his face, reveling in the sweet warmth. His little Sweetie was doing a pretty good impression of a hot water bottle and keeping his stomach warm. Though it wasn’t as warm as he would have liked to be. 

Vanitas huffed and tucked a strand of hair up into his hat. “I take it you don’t like the cold....” 

Cole shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself. “No. I do not.” He sank deeper into his hood. 

Vanitas snickered not so subtly. “You look like an oddly colored marshmallow.” He peered into Cole’s hood, a smirk on his face. 

Cole narrowed his eyes challengingly at him. “You look like you got mugged by Christmas Town,” he said, batting the puff of Vanitas’s blue Santa hat. Cole felt the unversed moving around under his jacket and squeaked. “Ah! Hey...! That tickles! Eek!” The unversed poked his head out of Cole’s coat, looking at Vanitas as it pressed its head against Cole’s neck. Vanitas glared at it. Cole huffed as Sweetie pushed his head against the underside of his chin. “Thanks Sweetie....” He rolled his eyes and patted the unversed’s head. 

Vanitas was definitely glaring at Sweetie. Cole had noticed him doing that back on the island, but hadn’t really thought much about it. Cole hummed, tilting his head. “Vani...?”

Vanitas blinked, looking up. Then he scowled and looked away. “We can leave if you want to. The cold doesn’t exactly agree with me either.”

Cole hummed, then paused. “Hey... are those people...?” He pointed out at a dark blob that was moving down the slope a little away from them. They were being followed by a massive cloud of snow. 

Vanitas squinted at the shape. “It looks like... a... no I don’t think so.” He shrugged, then paused. He glanced up at the slope above them, grabbing Cole’s hand. “Heartless!”

Cole’s head snapped up, seeing a wave of heartless descending towards them. “Oh... oh that’s a lot of them...!” Vanitas yanked him sideways, pulling him along the slope and out of the heartless’ path. Cole staggered, feeling Sweetie shift to cool around his neck. Vanitas threw his hand out in front of them, summoning a corridor. “Huh?! Vani wait! We have to do something about the heartless!”

Cole tried to stop them, but Vanitas pulled him through the corridor. When they stumbled out the other side Cole felt his foot catch on something, sending him sprawling forward and slamming into Vanitas. Vanitas cursed as he pitched forward, landing on the ground, grunting as Cole landed on top of him. 

Cole could actually feel Vanitas’s back move under him as he took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. “That’s it. No more running into corridors.” He pushed himself up on his elbows, looking back at Cole. “I was just trying to get us out of the way of the heartless. We’re still in the same world.” 

Cole blinked. “Oh.” He rolled off of Vanitas, sitting up and looking around. “It... doesn’t look like it.” 

The space around them was a warm rocky place, surrounded by trees, and almost completely covered in moss. There were round rocks scattered around the larger bowl shaped rock, each looked pretty heavy, but Cole guessed he could probably pick most of them up. 

“It’s warm here...,” he smiled, pushing his hood off his head. Sweetie squeaked at him, nuzzling closer against his neck. 

Vanitas sighed and ripped the blue Santa hat off his head. “Great.” He stuffed the hat into his bag. Cole snickered, despite himself. Vanitas shot him a glare. 

Then there was a sound from all around them, a low rumbling that sounded like rocks rolling against stone. Cole looked behind him and jumped as he saw all the circular rocks rolling towards them. He inadvertently grabbed on to Vanitas arm, clinging like that might do something useful. Heartless were one thing, haunted rocks were way above his pay grade. Then, the rocks rolled open, revealing small creatures. Oh. Not haunted rocks. Cole let go of Vanitas’s arm, looking down at one of the rock creatures that walked up to him. 

“Um... hello....” He waved slightly. 

Several of the creatures jumped on top of each other until they were eye level with Cole. Sweetie hissed and pressed against him tighter. Cole blinked, taking a half step back as one of the creatures leaned in close to his face, peering deep into his eyes. 

“Oh you poor dear...,” she cooed, patting his cheek sympathetically. “Someone’s messed with your head haven’t they?” She tilted her head. “And they’ve done quite the poor job.”

“Aww. This one too! Poor dear’s lost so much memory too...,” another voice sounded from close behind him. Cole looked behind him, seeing another stack of the rock creatures by Vanitas, looking deep into his face. 

The one in front of Cole grabbed his face, squishing his cheeks together. “Don’t worry dear. That’ll fix itself in no time!”

Cole blinked, speaking through squished lips. “But I don’t have any memory problems....”

“No...?” She patted his head, kinda roughly. “Well you’ll see.” Cole rubbed his head as she dropped to the ground. Cole took a step back and looked at Vanitas. 

Vanitas was backing away from the stack of rock creatures following him. He looked half tempted to just knock them over, which Cole though was probably not a good idea. Cole reached out and touched Vanitas’s shoulder. Vanitas stopped, looking at Cole curiously... which was just enough distraction for the rock person to grab his face and yank him down so they were eye level. Oops. Cole cringed internally. He hadn’t meant to do that. 

“Ah yes...,” the rock person mumbled, staring deep into Vanitas’s eyes. “Well good news is, your memories will come back all on their own!” Vanitas tanked his face out of the rock person’s grasp. “The bad news is, it’ll probably happen all at once. You’ll remember one thing and blam!” He threw his hands into the air and dropped to the ground. 

Vanitas looked concerned as he backed up to stand next to Cole. Cole clung to his sleeve, looking around as the rock people crowded around them. There were so many of them, probably over fifty in all. 

“Umm...!” Cole gave another small wave. “Thanks...?” He glanced at Vanitas. “I... we uh....”

“Shh!” One of the rock people commanded. 

“Someone’s coming!” Another sounded. 

The rock people surged forward, several of them lifting Cole and Vanitas over their heads and threw them into a large bush. One troll jumped in after them, putting their hands over Cole’s and Vanitas’s mouths. “Shhh. Stay quiet darlings.”

A moment later, Cole heard a cheerful voice echoing off the rocks around them. He couldn’t make it out, since his head was pressed against a moss covered rock person’s side. Then, he heard rumbling as the rocks started rolling again. Joyful cries filled the air a moment later and, thankfully, the rock person let go of Cole and Vanitas to bound out of the bush. 

Cole assumed that meant it was safe to come out now. He slowly stood up, shaking leaves out of his hair. He looked up at the new people in the clearing. There was a large blond man, who was being enthusiastically greeted by the rock people, a pretty woman with red hair that had streaks of white through it, a reindeer that looked perfectly at home, and... a talking, moving snowman. Of course. 

Vanitas grumbled to himself as he brushed dirt off his pants. Cole looked up at him and snickered. “Vani there’s a stick in your hair.” Vanitas twitched, reaching up. “No, I got it.” Cole giggled as he untangled the stick from his hair. 

“Sora...?” A soft voice asked. Cole felt Vanitas twitch under his hand, looking over at the new people. Cole looked up, stuffing the stick into his pocket without really thinking about it. Apparently the woman was the one who’d spoken, she had stepped forward and was looking at Vanitas. 

“Uh, no. This is Vanitas. And I’m Cole.” Cole gave a small wave. “Hi.”

The woman blinked and made a small ‘oh’ sound. Then she grinned and curtsied. “Well it's very nice to meet you, Vanitas, Cole. I’m princess Anna. And this is, Kristoff.” She pointed to the blond man, now covered in rock people. “And Sven, and Olaf.” She pointed to the reindeer and the snowman. Cole smiled as the snowman waved at him, waving back. “What are you two doing here with the trolls? Are you looking for help too?”

Cole shook his head, noticing that Vanitas had scooted to partially hide behind him. Right, he probably wasn’t used to so many people. “No, we’re... we just kinda... ended up here.” He scratched his cheek nervously, a sheepish grin on his face. 

“Oh look who Kristoff brought home!” One of the rock people, trolls apparently, cried. Anna yelped as she was hoisted off her feet and surfed over the top of the trolls to be thrown into Kristoff’s arms. “Oh yes, she’ll do nicely for our boy!”

Anna and Kristoff looked horrified. He set her down and tried to wave them off. “No...! She’s not...!”

Anna looked embarrassed. “We’re not...!” She turned away, looking like she was blushing. 

The trolls made another stack, so one was eye to eye with Anna. “What’s the issue dear?”

One of the trolls appeared beside Cole’s head, having formed a stack out of his line of sight. “You know... we’re truly love experts.” He smirked, raising his eyebrows. “We can see the seeds of love.” He shook his hands by his face, grinning. “And I think we see a couple pairs here.” 

Cole felt his eyes widen and his face pale. They were thinking about... oh no...! “Um... just a-“ 

But the stack of trolls grabbed him and pushed him off balance, so he stumbled into the crowd of trolls. Vanitas grabbed his hand to keep him from falling. But the trolls pushed him too. The two of them ended up in the center of one mass of trolls, while Anna and Kristoff ended up in the center of another. 

The trolls had apparently started singing, but Cole had missed the first part. So the first line he heard was a bit sudden. “But you’ll never meet a fella who’s as sensitive and sweet! So he’s a bit of a fixer upper~ so he’s got a couple of flaws!”

Someone grabbed Cole’s arm and yanked him into a spin. The world became a blur of green moss and grey rock as Cole spun in place for a moment. “So he’s a bit of a fixer upper, but this we’re certain of~ You can fix this fixer upper up with a little bit of love!”

Cole’s back collided with something warm and strong. He looked up and saw Vanitas peering down at him. Apparently he’d been spun backwards into Vanitas’s chest. 

“Are you not gonna sing?” Vanitas raised an eyebrow. 

“Not a princess song,” Cole corrected him. “Besides I’m kinda uncomfortable with this....”

Vanitas’s other eyebrow raised in surprise. “Why...?” 

Before Cole could answer, a troll jumped and landed in his arms, singing directly into his face. “His isolation is confirmation of his desperation for healing hugs!” 

Then a wave of trolls rose between them, pushing them apart. Cole felt like a pinball as he was knocked around until he landed next to Anna. She looked up at him and smiled as the trolls sang. “We’re not saying you can change him~ cause people don’t really change~ We’re only saying that love’s a force that’s powerful and strange!” 

The troll patted his face. “Throw a little love their way~ and you’ll bring out their best~! True love brings out the best!”

Cole was yanked backwards so fast he yelped. He was spun back into a circle with Vanitas, though on opposite sides. The trolls closed in little by little, forcing them together. “Everyone’s a bit of a fixer upper~ that’s what it’s all about!”

Cole saw a flash of green and suddenly there were vines thrown over him, tightened around his arms, pinning them to his sides. “Everyone’s a bit of a fixer upper~ but when push comes to shove~”

Olaf’s voice carried across the sea of trolls; there were definitely more of them than before. “The only fixer upper fixer that can fix a fixer upper is-“

And the trolls chimed back in, yanking on the vines and dragging Cole around. Cole wasn’t even sure which way anyone else was. “True true true true love~!” 

Cole blinked and suddenly he was chest to chest with Vanitas, almost nose to nose. The vines wrapped around each of them were tangled together. Vanitas looked a little sick too, so Cole feel a little better about having lost his stomach three games of pinball ago. Vanitas let out a long sigh of relief. 

“Can we leave now...?” He breathed. 

Cole nodded silently, feeling light headed. He felt his knees buckle under him. Vanitas staggered, but managed to keep them upright. Then, the vines went slack. Cole was sure he was gonna fall, but Vanitas caught him by his arms and hauled him to his feet. 

“Are you okay...?” He asked, looking him over. 

Cole nodded, feeling like he’d been chewed up and spit out by a tornado. “Fine~ Just a little... dizzy....”

After the world stopped spinning and he was back on his feet, Cole looked up to see that Anna and her friends had disappeared. “Where’d the others go...?”

One of the trolls waddled closer. Cole felt himself dig his fingers into Vanitas’s arms, pressing closer to him. “Our boy Kristoff took the princess to the castle. Her heart has been frozen and only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart.”

Cole felt Vanitas shift slightly, then the unversed shifted against his neck. “Oh....” He released Vanitas’s arms, thinking that he was probably gripping too hard. He patted Sweetie’s head, earning a content purr as he settled back down. “Will she be alright?”

The troll nodded. “Of course!” 

Cole smiled and breathed a soft sigh of relief. “I’m glad....” Then he blinked as the trolls seemed start closing in on them again. “Uh... Vani...?”

Vanitas grabbed Cole’s arm. “Absolutely not!” He turned and ran, dragging Cole along behind him. Cole yelped as his feet bounced off the mossy ground, more keeping him in the air as much as possible than actually running with Vanitas. 

“VaniVaniVaniVaniVani!” Cole yelped as he almost bounced off a tree. 

Vanitas slowed down, breathing hard as he kept them moving forward. Cole could actually run himself now. “I refuse...,” Vanitas muttered. 

Cole nodded, gasping for breath. “I’m not... arguing on... this one.... That was... uncomfortable....” Finally, Vanitas stopped running. Cole leaned back against a tree, sinking down to sit on the cold ground. “And you... are very fast....”

Vanitas leaned against the tree next to him, flashing a cheeky grin. “No, you’re just slow.” Cole snorted, then started laughing. He heard Vanitas chuckling lowly to himself. They stayed there for a long time, then Vanitas stood up and cleared his throat. “Well... we should probably go....”

Cole stood up, nodding. “Yeah. We should go take care of those heartless.” 

Vanitas looked far less than thrilled. “We don’t have to. Sora’s here. That’s why Princess whoever called me ‘Sora.’ So he’ll take care of them.”

Cole blinked. “But... we have to.... It’s our jobs as keyblade wielders to fight the heartless. If we don’t...!” He bit his lip, a rush of memories bubbling to the surface all at once. “We’ll turn into darklings!” 

Vanitas blinked. “What?” He tilted his head. The unversed around Cole’s neck mirrored him. 

“Darklings Vani! When a keyblade wielder chooses to not fight heartless they turn into a darkling!”

Vanitas looked like Cole had suddenly sprouted horns. Well, sprouting horns wasn’t too unusual at this point. But Vanitas was definitely somewhat freaked out. “Cole... no. That’s not a thing....”

Cole blinked, starting to feel a bit of panic well up inside him. “Yeah it is. I heard someone’s whole team turned into darklings.”

Vanitas shook his head, putting his arm on Cole’s shoulder. “I promise. You won’t turn into a whatever. Okay?” Cole nodded slightly, feeling Sweetie nuzzling his cheek. Vanitas gave a soft sigh. “If we go kill some heartless will that make you feel better?” Cole nodded again, a bit more enthusiastically. 

A smirk appeared on Vanitas’s face. “Well then, let’s go kill some heartless!” He took Cole’s hand and started leading them through the woods, looking for heartless. 

 

A little while later, when they had finally escaped the woods, it didn’t take long for them to find some heartless. Wave after wave came at them. They could barely take twenty steps before a new wave spawned around them. A deer shaped heartless leapt into the air, probably intent on nailing Cole with its sharp hooves, but Cole brought Moonlight up and around in an arc and smacked the heartless off course. It dissolved into powered snow as it collided with a rock. A crystal heart slipped free, floating up and away, into the sky. Cole watched it fly away, feeling his own heart grow a little lighter. 

Vanitas shouted something that might have been a spell, but was very likely a curse, and smelled into the center of a small cluster of heartless. A wave of force exploded from his keyblade, now partially buried in the ground, ramming into the heartless and shattering them. Several more hearts broke free and floated up into the sky. Vanitas huffed, breathing a little harder than normal as he yanked Dark Heart out of the ground. “Are we done yet?” He groaned, looking back at Cole. 

Cole bit back a snicker. He looked really irritated, like a kid being forced to do chores. “Yeah we can be done.” Cole laughed softly, dispelling Moonlight. 

Vanitas let out a sigh of relief, dispelling Dark Heart. Cole snickered again. Vanitas shot a glare towards him, though it seemed aimed at the unversed poking out of Cole’s coat more than Cole himself. “Great. Time to leave.” He held out his hand and summoned a portal. 

Cole grinned and trotted over to him. “The next world’s probably not going to be so cold. You wanna lose the extra layers?”

Vanitas tilted his head, considering for a moment, then nodded. He pulled his coat off over his head and chucked it at Cole’s face. Cole sputtered as the coat smacking into his face, wrapping around his head like a startled octopus. Cole yanked it off and put it away. He switched outfit boards to end up back in his hoodie. The cold assaulted him immediately, sending goosebumps racing across his body. 

“Okay! Time to go!” He yelped, dashing forward to grab on to Vanitas’s arm, yanking him into the portal. 

The other side was warm, and  
Cole felt like he’d been wrapped in a blanket. He opened his eyes and saw Sweetie standing in front of him. He blinked. Sweetie tilted his head, making a worried churring sound. Cole felt a heavy realization settle over him. They were standing eye to eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada! A short chapter when I actually mean to write a short chapter! 
> 
> A few things:  
> 1) It suddenly got really cold here. So yes, I’m bitter. 
> 
> 2) It’s midterm season, so next chapter might take a little while. 
> 
> 3) A question for all of you lovely readers. If Vani and Cole got turned into animals, what would they be? :3c I have some ideas of my own, but I’d love to hear what you all think. 
> 
> And~ Thank you all for reading! I didn’t expect so many people to like this so it’s been such a wonderful surprise that you all like it so much! ;w; 
> 
> There’s just a few more chapters before endgame stuff and I’m very excited for it. I hope y’all enjoy!! °<°
> 
>  **Edit**  
>  OH FRICK I FORGOT TO LINK THIS!  
> I did a drawing of Cole and his friends. [ Art Thing ](https://mewhoismyself.tumblr.com/post/182838685989/my-dear-sweet-kh-ocs-as-expression-practice)  
> Here it is! Enjoy! OKAY BYE!!


	16. Zootopia

Cole yelped and tripped backwards, landing on his tail. His /what/? Cole leapt to his feet, looking behind him to see a furry tail sticking out of his, thankfully resized, pants. And the rest of his clothes had shrunk to fit him as well. Thank lux. He had apparently turned into an animal. Well... that wasn’t too much weirder than the monster world. He glanced at Sweetie. Well... a little weirder. Sweetie made a soft purring sound, tilting his head. 

Cole looked around and found that they’d ended up in another ally. He found a dented hubcap that was twice as big as he was. It showed enough of his reflection for Cole to get a good idea about how he looked. 

Cole figured he looked a lot like a ferret. He had a roundish head, looking a bit like a small fox with a shorted snout. He felt his snout with his tiny hand like paw. He felt the barest hint of claws on his fingers, and decided to be very careful about that. Two small, pointed ears stuck up from his head, a little lighter than the rest of his head. And even in animal form, there was still a tiny piece of hair that stuck up funny. Stupid cowlick. His body was long and flexible, with a lot of blondish brown fur, and of course, a puffy tail, colored black instead of blond. The name ‘marten’ rose in his mind, so he guessed that was what he was. 

“Don’t touch me...!” A familiar voice growled, with slightly more growl than usual. Cole turned around and saw Sweetie poking at a black blob on the ground. 

“Vani?” Cole asked, tilting his head. He felt one ear dip down too. Oh that felt weird. 

The black blob shifted and Vanitas looked back at him. “I don’t like this....” Cole grinned. He scurried forward, inspecting Vanitas closer. 

Vanitas was now a small furry creature, covered in black fur with a small patch of white that barely peeked over the collar of his sleeveless hoodie. His legs were thin, but looked sturdy. His snout was short and roundish, with a number of whiskers. Two little teeth poked out of his mouth, even when it was closed. 

Cole felt himself smile. Even as an animal, Vani was cute. “So... what kind of animal are you? Apparently I’m a marten... I think.” Cole felt his tail swish behind him. Sweetie crawled over to him, rubbing his face against Cole’s, making and affectionate churring sound. 

Vanitas looked down at himself, tilting his head. “I think... I keep getting ‘Tasmanian devil’... but I have no idea what that means.”

Cole tilted his head and shrugged. “No clue.” He petted Sweetie’s head. “Apparently the world magic doesn’t work on unversed. Huh Sweetie?” He squished Sweetie’s face under his paws. 

Sweetie’s face darted forward and he gave Cole’s face a big lick. Cole sputtered, stepping backwards and wiping his face. “Hey...!” He put his paws on his hips. “That’s a lot more effective when we’re the same size.”

Vanitas snickered. Cole shot a glare at him. Vanitas waddled closer, his hands up. “No it’s... it just messed up your... your fur....” He put his paws on Cole’s face, smoothing down his fur. 

Cole giggled, feeling his tail sway from side to side. “Vani that tickles.” Vanitas huffed softly, but didn’t respond. He brushed the fur out of Cole’s eyes, then patted his head and stepped away. 

“So, this world is weird,” he said, changing the subject. 

Cole blinked, then looked out towards the mouth of the ally, tilting his head. “Yeah I guess. I guess the people who live here are animals... so this is how we blend in.” 

Vanitas nodded. “Yeah... great.”

Sweetie made a sound that sounded like he was talking through a whine. It didn’t sound anxious though. It honestly sounded kind of like words. Then he flopped on top of Cole, knocking him to the ground. Cole yelped, claws skittering over the pavement uselessly as he panicked and tried to escape. Sweetie started purring, which made Cole’s whole body feel like it was vibrating. Cole dropped his head onto the pavement, feeling his pupils expand. He really hoped he didn’t look as dumb as he felt. He figured he looked like one of his neighbor’s cats when they had too much catnip. 

“Vani...!” He whined. “Help....” 

Vanitas looked down at him, then up at the unversed. “Okay you... get off.” He made shooing motions with his paws. The unversed raised his head to look at him, but didn’t move any more than that. “I said move!” Vanitas pushed against the unversed, trying to roll it off of Cole. “It’s not listening to me...,” he told Cole regretfully. 

“I noticed...,” Cole muttered, letting out a sigh. He held his paws up. Vanitas thankfully understood. He grabbed onto Cole and yanked. Cole pushed with his back legs, wiggling his flexible body. And, with a surprised yelp, he was free. Cole slammed into Vanitas, and they rolled end over end a few times. Cole ended up half sprawled over top of Vanitas, shaking his head as his vision swam. “Well... it worked...!” 

He rolled off of Vanitas, sitting up. Sweetie crawled forward. Cole pointed a clawed finger at him. “Don’t even think about it. I can not carry you when you’re bigger than me.”

Sweetie’s antenna drooped and he made a low whining sound. Cole frowned and patted Sweetie’s head. “Sorry Sweetie....” Cole gave a small gasp. “Hey Vani! If animals in this world wear clothes should we put Sweetie in something? So he doesn’t stand out… as much….”

Vanitas tilted his head, looking over Sweetie. “Sure.” He shrugged helplessly. 

Cole grinned and pulled some clothes out of his outfit boards. He pulled his shirt that looked like a suit over Sweetie’s head, but paused when he looked down at his legs. There was no way he was getting pants over those. “Oh!” Cole pulled out a blue skirt and fastened it around Sweetie. “There. That’ll do it.”

Vanitas huffed and shook his head. Cole thought he might have been suppressing a smile. “Let’s go then.”

Cole hummed thoughtfully, still petting Sweetie’s face. “Should we find a place to sleep? A big city like this should have a hotel or something.”

Vanitas looked back at him, tilting his head. “How do you know it’s a big city? We haven’t even seen any of it yet.”

Cole gave a shrug, smiling up at him. “Just the feeling of it.”

Vanitas looked like he wanted to argue, but decided better of it. Instead he shook his head, leading the way out of the ally. Cole trotted after him with Sweetie on his tail, almost literally. 

 

The city was a lot different than any Cole had seen before. It reminded him of the skyline he’d seen in the monster world, but this was on a whole different level. There were people of all sizes. There were mice driving mouse sized cars on the sides of the street. There were lions that walked on two legs, one nearly stepped on Cole’s tail on accident. Then, there were giraffes, towering above the rest. It was the first time in a long time that Cole had felt so small. 

Vanitas looked back at him, taking Cole’s hand in his own... paws. They were paws. Cole decided not to think about it. Vanitas tilted his head slightly. “Are you okay?” 

Cole nodded slightly, smiling back at him. “Yeah. Everything’s just so big here. I feel like I’m gonna get squished....”

Vanitas gave a soft hum, nodding slightly. He opened his mouth to respond, but a voice behind them beat him to it. “Excuse me...!” 

Cole looked behind him and saw a rabbit wearing a police uniform. Her ear twitched as a smile spread across her face. “I didn’t mean to over hear... but well....” She gestured up towards her ears. “Did I hear you say you were new in town?”

Cole was suddenly immensely relieved that they weren’t talking about not being animals. Or being from another world. “Uh yes! We are...! We’re looking for a hotel....”

The rabbit perked up, smiling proudly. “Well I’m sure I can find one for you all.” She pointed at the badge on her shirt. “Officer Judy Hops at your service!”

Cole smiled a little, feeling a bit awkward. “Hi...! I’m Cole and this is Vanitas....” He glanced back at Vanitas and Sweetie. They were both somewhat hiding behind him. Babies. A little socializing wouldn’t kill you. “And that’s... Sweetie....” He grinned sheepishly, feeling his ears prick downwards. His tail swished nervously behind him. 

Judy smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet ya.” She waved for them to follow her and turned around marching down the street. 

Cole glanced towards Vanitas and gave a small shrug, a weary smile on his face. Vanitas looked like he wanted to start gnawing on something, which was a little funny and made Cole smile a little more. He nodded slightly and turned to follow Judy, ‘accidentally’ smacking Vanitas in the face with his tail. Vanitas huffed and sputtered, following along behind him. Sweetie moved to walk next to Cole, making a soft churring sound. 

“So what brings you to Zootopia?” Judy asked, looking over her shoulder. 

“Oh! Um... sightseeing kinda....” Cole said, scratching the back of his head. “We’re just traveling, like... a spiritual road trip!”

Judy jumped into the air excitedly, turning around in mid air. “You mean the kind where you discover yourselves and make new friends only to bid them goodbye when you have to move on?”

Cole felt his ears perk up. “Yeah exactly like that!”

Judy rushed forward and clasped Cole’s paws in her own. “Oh I’d love to hear about it...!” Her eyes sparkled with a million stars. 

Cole felt himself shrink backwards a little. How exactly was he supposed to tell her about it without telling her about other worlds. If there was one lesson Chirithy had hammered into his head it was not telling people about other worlds. 

Cole hesitated, tilting his head. “Well... first we got lost in a forest with spooky trees that looked like faces. We had to sleep on the ground a lot....”

“Oh!” Judy gasped. “Right, let’s walk while we talk. The nearest hotel isn’t too far, but the blocks are pretty big.” She started leading them again, sending a friendly wave at a couple passerby’s. 

“Okay...,” Cole muttered, thinking. “Then we saw a really pretty waterfall and camped out in a jungle overnight. Then there was a Halloween parade and we went shopping. Oh! And we went to the next town over for an early Christmas holiday.” He blinked. That had felt like such a long time ago, but it hadn’t been, had it?

“Then Vani won a local... sports competition.” There was really no better way to describe the games, without it sounding dangerous. “Then we got separated for a while and I got lost in the woods, again. And we met up in a big city and went to a fancy ball.” Cole felt himself blush, his face hearing up. Memories of the date surfaced, cluttering his mind with thoughts about that. Cole felt his heart get warmer and heavier. He refused to mention the date. He wouldn’t look back at Vanitas either. 

Vanitas’s head appeared on the other side of Judy as he chimed in. “Then we went to the islands.”

“Right...!” Cole squeaked. “Two different islands. They both had very nice beaches.”

Judy sighed softly. “Oh the beach sounds great. I’d love to go....” She had a far away look in her eyes. Then she shook her head and snapped herself out of it. “Then where did you go?”

Cole blinked. “Oh! But between the islands we went to a... door factory... and another big city and a music hall! I even got to sing in the music hall.... That was a lotta fun....”

Judy grinned, clapping her hands together. “Aww! How fun!”

Cole nodded, smiling sincerely. “Yeah it was....”

Vanitas chimed in again. “Then we climbed a mountain.”

“And then we ended up here!” Cole threw his arms up above his head. 

Judy giggled, slowing to a stop in front of a grand looking building. “Well that sounds just delightful. You’ve been through a lot together haven’t you?” She smiled widely. 

Cole blinked. Yeah. They had. He looked at Vanitas and smiled. He couldn’t help the small aching in his heart as it reached out for him of its own accord. Vanitas seemed to sense something, turning to look at Cole. Cole snapped his eyes away from him, suddenly very grateful the fur hid his blush. 

“Well...! This is it!” Judy exclaimed, gesturing to the building in front of them. The sign above the door read ‘Super Ape.’ Cole tilted his head curiously. “It’s been nice getting to know you folks.” Judy said, drawing Cole’s attention again. “If ya need anything be sure to ask. And good luck on your road trip.” She gave an exaggerated wink and hopped backwards. She gave a wave and turned away, disappearing down the street. 

Cole glanced up at Vanitas. “So uh... we found a room...!” 

Vanitas rolled his eyes, but Cole was pretty sure he was smiling. Though it was a little harder to tell than usual. “So we did. Great. I want a nap.” 

Cole grinned. “How ‘bout a full night’s sleep?”

Vanitas stretched his arms above his head, letting out a big yawn. He had... some very sharp teeth. “I can work with that.” He closed his mouth, looking really tired now, and moved towards the building. 

Cole snickered and followed him. He checked over his shoulder to see Sweetie following him. 

 

The room was very nice, furnished with dark oak furniture and quilts spread over the beds. There were three beds, so there was plenty of room for everyone. Sweetie immediately jumped on the bed next to the wall, knocking the bed into the wall, threw the blankets and quilt over himself, curled up, and immediately started snoring. 

Cole laughed softly. “Aww. Guess someone else was tired too.” He glanced up at Vanitas and blinked when he saw the glare he was aiming towards the unversed. “Vani...?” Cole asked softly, gently putting his paw on Vanitas’s arm. “What’s wrong...?”

Vanitas huffed, which sounded way different with a snout, and shook his head. “Nothing.... Tired.” He stepped away from Cole, drifting over to the bed furthest from Sweetie. 

Cole watched him flop on top of the bed and pretend to fall asleep. He rolled his eyes and walked over to him, putting his hands on his hips. “You do realize... I know you’re not asleep, right?” He sat down on the edge of the bed, careful of his tail, and poked Vanitas in the back. “Come on~ we haven’t had a good heart to heart in a long time...!”

Vanitas rolled his head over so he could see Cole. “In the monster world....”

“Yeah....” Cole tilted his head, a small grimace slipping onto his face. “The whole ‘I got trapped in a dream’ thing.... And now you have an evil clone... apparently. How’s that feeling for you?”

Vanitas groaned and shoved his head under a pillow. Cole patted his back, looking across the room at Sweetie. The pile of blankets rose and fell steadily, with the sound of soft snoring. 

“Or we could talk about the death glares you keep sending at Sweetie.”

Vanitas groaned again, pulling the pillow tighter around his head. “Hate it....”

“Hmm?” Cole chirped, not bothering looking down at him as a smile slid across his face. He knew he’d won. “Hate what?”

“I hate that thing...,” a muffled grumble rose from beneath the pillows. “It’s annoying.”

“How so?” Cole glanced down to see Vanitas’s snout sticking out from under the pillow. He was absolutely glaring at Sweetie again. 

“It doesn’t listen to me... and I can’t reabsorb it... because it doesn’t listen to me...!”

Cole felt Vanitas shaking slightly under his fingertips. “But he’s still an unversed right? He’s your emotions... right?” Vanitas huffed, nodding slightly. “But... how did he get to Hawaii before you? He was there when I got there.”

“I pushed it away... I made it inside me and made it form somewhere else.” He sounded a little guilty. “And that must have influenced where the corridor lead.”

Cole tilted his head and hummed. If forming the unversed had influenced the portal to go to Hawaii... Vani had formed the unversed when they were in Doulton Hall. He started tapping his fingers against Vanitas’s back in the rhythm of a song he remembered. “Were you upset...?”

Vanitas grumbled something Cole couldn’t hear. Cole felt his heart drop. Of course he’d been upset. And it was because of Cole. So no wonder Vanitas didn’t like Sweetie. “Well...,” Cole sighed, scratching the back of his head. “At least he’s friendly for being so upset at me....” Vanitas shifted under him and Cole thought he was going to move away. So he threw himself backwards, on top of Vanitas. “Nooooo! Staaaaaaay!”

Vanitas sputtered and squirmed under him. “Hey...! Get-! What are you doing?” He kicked at Cole, but it didn’t do much good. Eventually Vanitas managed to roll onto his back, which made Cole slide out of place. So now his hips were laying on top of Vani instead of his back. Cole stared at the ceiling, a cold acceptance settled over him. Vanitas sat up, looking down at Cole. “Why are you on top of me?”

There was a long moment of silence, in which Vanitas’s eyebrow crept higher and higher. Then, Cole reluctantly admitted, “I am stuck. Guess this is how I die.” 

Vanitas snorted, then snickered behind his hand. He pushed Cole off of him, rolling him down to the end of the bed. Cole laid there, face down for a while, then raised his face just enough to look up at Vani. He felt a smile push itself onto his face. 

Then he felt his tail wagging. Cole sat up, grabbing for his tail. It took a minute, but he managed to pin it down. “Ha!” Cole snapped triumphantly. His tail started wiggling under his hands again. “No! Quit! Do not!”

Cole paused when he heard a strange sound. He looked up and saw Vanitas curled in on himself. He was shaking and rocking a little bit. Cole was about to worriedly ask him if he was okay, but Vanitas let out a bark of a laugh and slapped his hands over his mouth as he fell over sideways. 

Cole watched, with amazement and mild horror, as Vanitas dissolved into a fit of laughter. His fingers curled into the blankets as his whole body shook. Cole had never heard him laugh this hard before. But, as a huge grin crept onto his face, he realized that something had opened up inside Vani. He’d dropped the walls he’d always kept up, even as he opened gates to his heart for Cole. This was something new, complete openness. Cole felt his heart rise in his chest as started laughing too. 

It felt like there was something resonating between them, a feeling that was reflected and amplified by their hearts. Cole didn’t remember ever feeling like this before. Then, as the moment slowly faded, he felt something heavy weighing his heart down. Something, some kind of wall was still around his own heart. 

Cole took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. Then he felt something tug on his tail. He looked up and saw Vani, laying sprawled across the bed, gently tugging at his tail. He looked really tired, but better somehow, like he’d suddenly dropped a lot of stress all at once. Vanitas held his hands up towards Cole, beckoning him to come down. 

Cole leaned down, tilting his head and smiling softly. “Yes~?”

Vani grabbed him and yanked him downwards, squeezing Cole tightly against his chest. “You’re so fucking stupid...,” he muttered. He was laughing slightly. Cole could feel his torso moving under him. 

Cole huffed and laid his head over Vanitas’s shoulder. “Well excuse~ me...!” He was pretty sure the offended tone in his voice sounded only half serious. 

Vanitas snickered, shaking his head. “No... that’s not a bad thing....” He scooted backwards, holding Cole in place with one hand. He kicked the blankets down, then yanked them over top of both of them. Vanitas hummed softly as he laid back against the pillows. “It’s... nice... that you care about stupid stuff.”

Cole shot a half hearted glare up towards him. Vani didn’t look back at him though. “Hey Cole...?”

“Hmm?” Cole hummed, shifting so he was comfortable, since it didn’t look like Vanitas was going to let go of him any time soon. Not that he wanted him to anyways. He settled with his head laying on the pillows and his body sprawled across Vanitas like the noodle it was made to be. 

“Thank you...,” Vani said softly, “For being my light.” He sounded like he was going to nod off any second now. 

Cole hummed softly, patting Vanitas’s cheek. “You’re welcome Vani.” He snuggled closer, reveling in the warmth, a stark difference from the snowy world from less than an hour ago. Cole pressed his face into the pillow to muffle a yawn, and so he wouldn’t yawn directly into Vanitas’s ear. “Good night...,” he mumbled, feeling himself drifting off towards sleep.

He felt Vanitas shift, tucking Cole’s head under his chin. “Good night....” Cole felt himself smile, feeling safe and warm as he let himself slip into a deep dream. 

_  
Cole found himself sitting on his favorite couch in their hangout. He was leaning back against one arm of the couch while his feet were propped up on the other arm. He looked around, a feeling of nostalgia washing over top of him. There was the makeshift stage, a couple of pallets and plywood they’d nailed together, with the star covered curtains hanging behind them. The midday sun shone through their ‘stained glass’ window, they’d scribbled on the window with colored marker ages ago, sending heart shaped splashes of color sprawling across the room. Then, scattered around a coffee table, scattered with half full mugs, half read books, and a random assortment of papers, were the other couch, the love seat, and the dual beanbag._

_This place... this was a place that was just theirs, a comfortable little house near the center of town. Their home base, their team’s headquarters. This is where they all came to group up for missions and where they returned to afterwards. Memories came flooding back. The mishap of Grace’s surprise proposal, the dozens of performances just for each other, the massive cake they’d made for Haley’s seventeenth birthday, and the prank war that started with exploding drinks and ended up with Edward and Apollo dating. Cole felt himself smiling at the memories. The nostalgia turned a little bitter._

_Cole smelled someone cooking in the kitchenette, using that broken stove top that always smelled like cooked pasta when it got hot. Cole leaned backwards over the arm of the couch, trying to see who it was in the kitchen. But they were standing behind the wall, so he couldn’t._

_“Well good morning sleepy head,” a familiar voice chirped. Suddenly Stella was standing over him, hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips. She looked so full of life, long black hair, clipped out of her face as always, and caramel skin practically shining with life. She scoffed and shook her head. “Did you even move since we left?”_

_“Of course I moved,” Cole’s voice echoed from his throat. He hadn’t meant to say that. “I made a new friend even.”_

_“New friend?” Edward chirped, his head popping up over the back of the couch. “What new friend?” His messy brown curls were even messier than usual. He looked like someone had pointed a wind spell right at him and knocked him off his feet. There was dirt smeared across his cheek, looking almost black against his olive skin. So he had gotten knocked over._

_“My new friend. His name’s Vani. I’m his light,” Cole’s voice said again. Cole sat up, hand drifting towards his throat._

_Haley plopped down on couch where Cole’s feet had just been, draping one arm over the back of the couch and crossing one leg over another. Just like she said a ‘polite lady should’. Her red hair made a kind of halo around her face, making the freckles on her pale skin look like specks of coal dust. Her choker, with the female sign pendant, hung around her neck. “Oh? Looks like you learn pretty well.” She grinned and giggled. “Though Stella’s a pretty good teacher when it comes to heart stuff.” She waved her hand, then squawked as Grace plopped herself in her lap._

_Grace smiled smugly when Haley uncrossed her legs to make herself more comfortable. Light from the ‘stained glass’ danced over her ebony skin. “So... you’re someone’s light.... What about the other way?” Grace draped her arms around Haley’s shoulders, tucking Haley’s head under her chin. Haley batted a dreadlock out of her face._

_“The other way?” Cole asked, actually meaning to speak this time._

_“Is he your darkness?” Stella asked, tilting Cole’s head backwards to look up at her. “Or do you still have your own?”_

_Cole opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. “There has to be a balance Cole,” Apollo said, appearing in the doorway to the kitchen. He walked over and pushed a mug of hot chocolate into Cole’s hands. He sat down on the edge of the coffee table, carefully clearing a spot first. He didn’t look as tired as he usually did. Usually the bags under his eyes stood out against his pale complexion, almost as dark as his black hair. But now they were gone, more shadows than anything substantial._

_“You should know that better than anyone. We balanced your darkness before. And you learned to balance it with your own light.” Apollo tapped a finger against Cole’s chest, over his heart. “If you don’t let your light get stronger... your darkness and his won’t balance with this light you’re emitting now.”_

_Edward made a sound that was probably supposed to be things toppling over, but sounded more like cartoon raindrop sound effects. Then he threw his hands out, miming an explosion._

_“He’s not going to explode Eddie,” Haley groaned, rolling her eyes._

_“But it is dangerous,” Stella chimed in. “Even if your light illuminates the darkness, that doesn’t mean you can withstand all of it. If you’re not careful… it could consume you….”_

_Cole sighed softly, letting his head hang, looking down at the mug of hot chocolate in his hands. “Yeah... I know.... But if I shine brighter, he’ll feel like he has to let his darkness deepen. He needs a gentle light to wain him away from that… all consuming darkness…. I want to get him to a middle ground, so he can be safe even when I’m not around. And I... I want to be his light.”_

_Stella sighed softly, putting her hand on Cole’s shoulder and leaning in so she could see his face. “You want both of you to walk a path between light and darkness?”_

_Cole nodded, looking up at all of them. “We all know what losing yourself to darkness does. And I’ve learned what losing yourself to light does. I can’t just…. I want to say with him, be his light, but I also want to make sure he’ll be safe if I can’t be.”_

_Stella smiled softly, pulling Cole into a sideways hug. “Sounds like a plan Charcoal! You just be careful now.”_

_The edges of Cole’s vision started to blur. In an instant he realized he was dreaming and that he was waking up. “Wait...! I don’t want...! I don’t want you to leave yet!”_

_The others laughed, shaking their heads. “We’re not leaving,” Grace said, a smile on her face._

_Apollo tapped a finger against Cole’s chest, over his heart. “We’re right here. There’s nothing stronger than the bonds of hearts.”_

_Stella ruffled Cole’s hair. “He’s right you know. And besides....” She gave him a wink that said a lot. “Vani is waiting for you~ right?”_

_Cole felt his face flush darkly, understanding exactly what she meant by that. “Wha-? Stella!”_

_She giggled and patted his head, moving around to stand on the other side of him, with the others. “You know... you make a pretty cute ferret!” She winked playfully._

_“I’m a marten!” Cole snapped.  
_

  


Cole’s eyes snapped open to see bright red eyes staring deep into his own, taking up the entirety of his vision. Then a long tongue licked a line up his face. Cole sputtered and thrashed, pushing Sweetie’s head away from him. “Ack! No! Get off!” He managed to push Sweetie off him, scrambling off the bed and to his feet. 

Sweetie plopped his rear down, staring at Cole with big red eyes. He looked rather proud of himself. “Well good morning to you too,” Cole huffed, crossing his arms. 

Vani’s head poked out of the bathroom. “Oh. You’re up.” 

Cole huffed again. “Apparently.” He stretched his arms above his head, feeling really well rested. “How long have you been up?”

Vanitas gave a half shrug. “Half an hour maybe. There’s a nice shower in here. The water’s really hot.”

Cole tilted his head, noting that Vani’s fur was wet and plastered against his body shape. There was a distinct floral scent. Cole scurried over to the bathroom, but immediately backpedaled when he saw that Vani only had a towel wrapped around his waist. “Ummm...!” He turned around, hoping his fur hid most of his blush. “I’ll... wait till you’re done.” 

Vanitas huffed and grabbed Cole’s shoulder, turning him around and steering him into the bathroom. “I /am/ done. Now you get clean too. You smell like burnt pasta and chocolate, which smell really bad together.” He shut the door, leaving Cole to stand in the center of the steamy bathroom, suddenly wondering just how real his dream had been. 

 

As he showered, wishing the fur didn’t block the water as much as it did, Cole thought about that dream. There was no way it was just a dream. It felt way too real. He’d actually felt the warmth of Stella’s hand and the mug of hot chocolate. Maybe he’d slipped back into the dreaming realm...? Suddenly the water felt a lot colder. Cole wrapped his arms around himself, ducking his head under the stream of water. No that couldn’t be it. He pulled his head back and took a deep breath. 

A small memory tugged at his attention. Vani had promised to pull him out... if he ever slipped back into the dream world. Cole smiled a little. Apparently he had... or rather Sweetie had. Cole shook his head, still smiling. But there was still something bothering him.  
_  
“Is he your darkness?”_

 _“There has to be a balance.”_  
  
“Walk a path between light and darkness...,” Cole mumbled. He looked down at his hand, imagining that Moonlight was there. “I hope I’m right.” He pressed his hand against his chest. “I can’t lose him too.”

_”I can’t lose you too...!”_

Cole jumped, looking around wildly. He was sure he’d just heard Stella’s voice. But there was nothing, just the hot water, slowly turning cold, and the steam hanging in the air. 

 

Cole stepped out of the bathroom, clean, but feeling ragged. Vanitas was sitting on the unmade bed, watching Sweetie, now back in no clothes, bat around a blanket someone had tied into a giant ball. Vanitas looked up, then quickly rose to his feet. “What’s wrong?”

Cole’s mouth felt dry as he opened it to say something, anything. Instead he shook his head. Vanitas put his hands on his shoulders, looking Cole in the eye. “Are you okay?”

Cole forced himself to take a deep breath, then nodded. “Yeah.” His voice croaked. “Just had a... dream. It wasn’t a nightmare though.... Damn I miss my dream eaters though.”

Vanitas tilted his head, looking confused. Cole cleared his throat and straightened up. He didn’t want Vani to worry any more than he had to. “Oh. My dream eaters were companions in the dream world. They ate nightmares and promoted good dreams.” He smiled softly, patting Vanitas’s cheek. “I’m fine though.” 

Vanitas looked like he wanted to argue, but he apparently decided not to. Instead he pulled Cole against him and hugged him tightly. Cole paused for a minute. He wasn’t expecting that. But he hugged Vani back tightly, pressing his face into Vani’s shoulder. “Thanks...,” he murmured. 

A moment later, Vanitas stepped backwards, but kept his hands on Cole’s arms. “You should talk to me if something’s wrong.”

Cole grinned up at him. “Yeah. And I will, soon as I figure out what the heck I think about it.” He waved his hands beside his head. “Something something hearts and light and darkness. It’s introspection time...!” He laughed softly, feeling a genuine smile spread across his lips. “I’ll talk to you when I figure it out. Promise.” 

Vanitas huffed, but smiled softly. “I’ll hold you to that.” Cole grinned and snickered. Vanitas stepped back, holding his hand out. “Shall we get going then? We’re rested and I’m getting sick of this fur.”

Cole snickered. “Sure but... don’t we have to check out first?”

Vanitas smirked smugly. “Nope. We’ll be automatically checked out at noon, which is in ten minutes.” He held a finger up like he was lecturing on something he knew very well. “So, since we’ve already payed, as long as we clear out before noon, we’re good.” He looked rather proud of himself. 

Cole smirked and crossed his arms. “You just don’t wanna go down and talk to the lion receptionist again don’t you?”

Vanitas glared at him. “That’s beside the point.”

Cole snickered. “Alright alright. Come on Sweetie.” Sweetie looked up from the blanket ball and scurried over to Cole, rubbing his face against Cole’s cheek. 

Vanitas raised his hand and a swirling portal of darkness opened again. Cole really needed to ask him why it looked like that. But he shrugged it off again and stepped forward, following Vanitas into the portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is~ And we’re winding up to the climax pretty soon! I’m getting very excited and I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I will!!
> 
> (Is it a bad thing if I already have two ‘sequal’ ideas? One prequel, with Cole and friends, and one after the end of this one. >_>’)
> 
> As always, let me know what y’all think and if you have any ideas about future chapters or feelings about this chapter or previous ones. :}c
> 
> Heeheeheeheehee~ >:}c
> 
> Edit: AAAAAAAH Frick. I knew there was something I was forgetting. I was gonna make a joke and link a pic but I forgoooooot. Again! And now it’s too late. Gotta be next time then.... =3=


	17. France

As soon as he stepped out of the corridor, Vanitas practically felt the universe laughing at him. _”I’m getting sick of this fur.”_ He’d said. Now, there was more fur plastered all over his face. Vanitas felt a low growl rise up from his throat as the hair on his back bristled. Something tapped his shoulder. Vanitas looked back and saw a blond cat that seemed to be sparkling while looking at him. “Hello Cole...,” he muttered, feeling himself relax a little. 

Cole smiled widely as his tail swished back and forth. “Looks like we’re cats this time.” The unversed laid across his back, now the size of a small kitten. At least it wasn’t bigger than both of them this time. 

Cole was fluffier this time, though not ridiculously so. He was blond with streaks of a darker yellow, giving him some kind of patterning. His eyes were still blue, crystalline and shining with a gentle light. 

Vanitas looked himself over, seeing sleek black fur and a small frame. With a small bit of pride, he realized he was built more athletically built cat than Cole was. He wasn’t too thrilled about the fur and paws though. 

Cole nudged him with his foot. “Hey Vani.... We have company....” Vanitas looked up, noting that they were outside, standing near a shed next to train tracks. Two cats were making their way towards them, one orange with white markings and the other pure white. 

The orange stepped closer, tilting his head. “Hey there.... Who might you be?” He sounded suspicious. Vanitas felt the fur on his back stand up a little. He smelled the scent of battle on this cat. It wasn’t fresh, but it was there. 

“Oh!” Cole piped up, stepping a little in front of Vanitas. “I’m Cole and this is Vanitas.” He looked over his shoulder at the unversed on his back. “And this is Sweetie. We’re just passing through.” He beamed in what Vanitas supposed was a friendly manner, but Vanitas felt a slight edge of apprehension coming off of Cole. Apparently he’d smelled the scent of battle too. 

“Oh!” The white cat chirped. “All of us are as well. We’re on our way to Paris!” She looked over her shoulder. “You can come out now darlings.” Vanitas blinked in surprise as three small kittens hopped out of the tall grass, scurrying closer to hide behind the white cat. 

The white cat smiled lovingly, then gave a small bow. “My name is Duchess and these are my children.” She pointed to each kitten in turn. “This is Toulouse, Berlioz, and Marie.” The kittens stayed hidden behind their mother, staring up at Vanitas and Cole. 

Then Duchess gestured to the orange cat beside her. “And this is Thomas O’Malley. He’s taking us back home to Paris.”

Cole, of course, smiled and waved at the kittens. “It’s nice to meet you all.”

Thomas gave a short nod. “Yeah a real treat. Well we should get going. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.” He turned sharply and walked towards the train tracks. 

Vanitas narrowed his eyes at him. Was he suspicious of them? “Mind if we tag along?” Cole asked, trailing after Thomas. Vanitas’s head snapped towards Cole. What?!

“Oh that’d be splendid, the more the merrier. But we wouldn’t want to trouble you,” Duchess said worriedly. 

Cole shook his head. “No trouble. We weren’t headed in any particular direction so it’s no trouble at all.” His tail wagged lazily behind him as a sweet smile spread across his face. Vanitas sighed, figuring there wasn’t a lot he could to to argue at this point. He watched the tip of Cole’s tail sway back and forth, lightly zoning out of the conversation. At least Cole was having fun. That was important. 

As he watched Cole’s tail move, expressing plenty of emotion on its own, a thought occurred to him. How did Cole take to the different bodies so quickly? It took Vanitas almost fifteen minutes to not feel like he was being forced into a shape he didn’t fit. Then it clicked. Something Cole had said, it felt like so long ago, back on the Destiny Islands. 

_“This body I have now was created to shelter my heart.”_

So then... Cole’s body was more of a physical manifestation, an extension of his heart, rather than a real body. They’d had that in common. Though Vanitas figured Cole’s fit him better. His heart was made of light after all. Vanitas smiled slightly, feeling the feelings in his heart rise and flutter around in his chest. Then he decided. When they were back in their own faces, he’d tell Cole how he really felt. He hadn’t been able to put the feeling into words before, not since he’d started trying to explain them. But Vani decided that he’d try, and he’d keep trying until he could make Cole understand them, even if he still couldn’t....

“Vani...?” Cole’s voice snapped him out of his daze. He looked up and saw Cole standing on the train tracks, looking back at him curiously. The kittens were leading the way, walking along the tracks with Thomas and Duchess following behind. Cole tilted his head. “You okay?”

Vanitas nodded, moving to climb onto the train track behind Cole. “Fine. Just don’t like the extra legs...,” he muttered softly, so only Cole could hear. 

Cole laughed softly, patting Vanitas’s head with his tail. “I can understand that. But think of this as a challenge. You’re good at those.” Cole flashed him a grin and started walking along the rail. 

Vanitas felt his ears perk up. A challenge? And Cole thought he was good at challenges? He felt a swell of pride full his chest. Yes. He could absolutely master this new form. And he’d impress Cole with it too. Vani jumped up on the rail and started following along after the others. They walked on the tracks high above a river, the rails held up by a scaffolding type bridge. 

One of the kittens was making train sounds. Vanitas rolled his eyes but smiled despite himself. Damn.... That surprised him. Had he really changed that much? The person he’d been before Cole would have spawned a dozen annoyed unversed. But now he found it... almost endearing.

“Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch! Woo woo!”

Vanitas huffed and smiled, but that was immediately cut off by a real train whistle, painfully loud and much too close. His head snapped up to see a gigantic train roaring towards them. 

“Get down! Everybody down!” Thomas shouted, grabbing kittens and pushing them to a lower beam of the bridge. 

Vanitas grabbed Cole’s tail in his mouth and jumped down, dragging Cole down with him. The unversed on Cole’s back slipped, losing its grip on his fur. It toppled down the scaffolding, bouncing off beams. Vanitas heard Cole give a shout, but Vanitas threw his body over Cole’s pressing them against the wood beams. Then the train hit. 

For a seemingly endless moment, there was just the roar of the train, the clicking of its wheels, the creaking of the wooden bridge, and the flashes of light from the small spaces between the cars. Vanitas grit his teeth, pressing against Cole even more. He felt his claws digging into the wood, vibrations running through him, making his legs numb. Vanitas felt like his insides had been put in a blender. He was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to be able to feel his heart beating against his kidney. Then, almost as suddenly as it started, it stopped. He heard the train roaring its way down the tracks, sounds growing fainter by the second. 

Vanitas slowly opened his eyes, feeling Cole shifting under him. “Are you okay?” Vani asked, slowly pulling his claws out of the wood beam. 

Cole looked up at him, smiling softly. “Yeah. Thanks Vani.” Vanitas felt his heart rise in his chest, a smile pushing itself onto his face. He was about to say something, though he had no idea what he was going to say, when a small shriek pierced through the air. 

Vanitas looked down, seeing the unversed clinging to a log floating down the river, pulling the white kitten up onto the log. It looked up at them, eyes fixing on Vanitas and Cole. It shrieked again helplessly. Vanitas saw a streak of orange as Thomas leapt into the water. He watched in semi awe as Thomas floundered his way to the log, grabbing the kitten in his mouth as he held her above the water. 

“Come on!” Cole yelped, jumping back onto the tracks and racing to the other side of the bridge. Vanitas scrambled up after him and, a moment later, leapt onto solid ground. They followed Duchess downstream. She hopped up on a branch hanging over the water. Vanitas saw her reach down, fumble something, then pull her kitten out of the water. 

A moment later, the unversed leapt onto the shore, skidding to a stop and shaking itself off. Cole stopped and checked the unversed over. “Are you okay Sweetie?” The unversed squeaked and nodded sharply. Cole looked around, his tail swishing nervously. Vanitas slowed to a stop next to him. “Where’s Thomas?” Cole asked, a note of worry in his voice. 

“He went floating down stream!” One of the kittens said. 

“Yes he said he’d be alright. But we must go meet him,” Duchess said. She sounded worried too, but she hid it well. 

Cole looked at the river, his tail swishing back and forth nervously. “I could try to pull him out.... I can swim... normally....” He muttered that last part under his breath, looking back at Vanitas. 

Vani nudged his shoulder against Cole’s. “Don’t worry. He’s tough. I can tell.” He offered a soft smile. “I’m sure he’ll drag himself out of there before too long.” 

Cole smiled a little and nodded. His tail fell over Vani’s back, curling like it was trying to hold onto him. “You’re probably right....” 

 

They found Thomas being dragged ashore by two geese in bonnets. He honestly looked half drowned but Vanitas figured that might not be the best thing to say at that exact moment. The geese chittered on about Thomas and how handsome he was and something about learning to swim. Vanitas tuned them out and crawled up on a rock not too far away. 

After a few minutes Cole drifted over to join him. “You okay?”

Vanitas huffed and laid his head on his paws. The unversed was still perched on Cole’s back, watching Vanitas carefully. He was sure it was taunting him. The stupid thing was always so close to Cole when he was too nervous to be. How long did people have to date for them to start being cuddly? He honestly didn’t know. He wanted to be cuddly, despite his pride denying it. Cole felt warm and safe. He was his light. Vanitas could allow himself to be vulnerable to him. 

Cole tilted his head. “Are you tired? Wanna leave?” He looked a little sad about that idea. 

Vani shook his head, sitting up more. “No, just....” He glanced towards the kittens. “I’m not used to being so close to children. They’re so tiny and fragile.” Well, that wasn’t a complete lie. He /was/ nervous about being around them. It just wasn’t the thing he was most nervous about. 

Cole smiled softly, bumping his shoulder against Vanitas’s. “You don’t have to worry so much.”

Vanitas sighed softly, closing his eyes. Didn’t he? There was a building sense of dread crawling up into his stomach. It felt like someone was pounding on something connected to his heart. The vibrations were running through metal wires, trying to yank him in one direction. He’d felt it before, but it just kept getting more frequent and stronger. He couldn’t put a name on what it was, but it made him feel like he was simultaneously falling and trying to keep from drowning. 

Cole pressed his nose against Vani’s cheek, bringing his thoughts to a screeching halt. His eyes snapped towards Cole, staring at him. Cole looked rather proud of himself, his tail waving back and forth. Vani was about to ask him what that was, was that a kiss..., but one of the geese squawked at them. 

“You two too now! Come along.” Before he knew it, Vanitas had been shoved into a line and told to follow the geese. He glanced to his side, seeing Cole mimicking the geese’s waddle. He let out a sigh, figuring that at least like this... separated and quiet, not waddling, he could put off having to think about that feeling of dread. Now all he could think about was Cole’s nose pressed against his cheek and what that might have been if they’d been in their human forms. 

 

A long time after the sun had set, and thankfully after they’d left the geese to their uncle, who’d apparently been marinated in wine, they followed Thomas to his ‘pad’. He’d apparently claimed the top floor, or rather the attic, of an abandoned building that was one good storm from falling down. Thomas sighed softly when he saw it, sitting down on the edge of the roof across the street. “Well that’s it there. It ain’t much, but it’s dry and quiet.” 

Almost instantly, a scratching horn blew from within the attic. Thomas’s eyes went wide. “Oh! Oh no! Looks like Scat Cat and his crew came for a visit!” He gave a sheepish grin to Duchess and jumped down onto wall that connected the two buildings. 

Vanitas raised an eyebrow at the attic. Was this another singing world? Just great. Well this world didn’t have a princess, probably. So Cole wouldn’t jump into song again. Vanitas glanced at Cole as he carefully picked his way across the wall. But... Vanitas wished he would sing... just for him. 

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the unversed squeaked, raising its head. It had sensed the emotions that made it rising up inside him. Vanitas growled softly, shoving the emotions down and following after Cole. He really needed to figure out how to get rid of that thing. It was absolutely mocking him. And it was going to drive him crazy if he left it free much longer. The emotions themselves would be less of a bother. 

Thomas stuck his head in through the skylight and greeted the cats inside. A roar of approval echoed out from the attic, welcoming Thomas back. Vanitas scowled, debating on just convincing Cole to leave. But he resigned himself, figuring that Cole would at least want to get the cats home. One night wouldn’t kill him. Probably. 

Vanitas slunk in through the window, steering himself towards a dark corner. He wasn’t sulking. He just didn’t like other people. And he definitely didn’t dig his claws into the wood floor, back bristling, when a large cat slung a friendly arm over Cole’s shoulders. It would be stupid to be jealous of a cat. At least his unversed swatted at the burly cat, even it did no good. 

He was so preoccupied with trying to set the burly cat on fire with his mind, well not really, that’d actually work, but pretending like he was trying to made him feel better, that Vanitas didn’t notice the music until Thomas joined in. 

“Everybody’s pickin’ up on that feline~ beat. Cuz everything else is obsolete.” 

Vanitas felt his fur stand up. Not another musical world! He actually felt his claws splinter the boards under his feet. But he withdrew them unharmed. 

“A square with a horn makes you wish you weren’t born~ Every time he plays~! But with a square in the act~ You can set music back~”

Vanitas pressed his paws over his ears, biting back a groan. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the rest of the room. Then felt a small sigh of relief escape him when he realized that the burly cat had left Cole’s side to start playing a guitar twice as big as he was. 

Vanitas blinked, staring as he saw Cole jump in with Thomas and the cat who had to be ‘Scat Cat’. He grinned as he followed their steps perfectly, sidestepping towards Vanitas. Did that mean Thomas was a princess...? Probably not. Vanitas’s paws slipped off his ears and he heard Cole’s voice mingling with the others. 

“A square with a horn~ makes you wish you weren’t born~ every time he plays~” Cole caught Vani looking at him and grinned, becoming him over when Thomas spouted a line Vanitas didn’t pay attention to. Vanitas shook his head, but took a step forward as Cole started sidestepping back the other way. “With a square in the act~ you can set music back~ to the caveman days~” 

Thomas jumped over to the white kitten, singing something along with her. But Cole bounced over to Vani, grinning and pulling him up to stand on his back feet as the rest of the cats started blaring on their instruments. 

Cole pulled Vani into a swing dance, grinning widely as he drug Vanitas around in a circle. “Just let loose,” Cole shouted at him over the music. “You’ve been anxious all day. Have a little fun with it!” Vanitas blinked. Was he really that easy to read? Or maybe it was just Cole. 

Vanitas decided that, if Cole wanted to dance, he’d impress him. He took the lead, spinning Cole around and swinging him in one direction, than another one. Cole let out a laugh, kicking one leg out as he reached the end of a spin. Out of the corner of his eye Vanitas saw Thomas and Duchess dancing together. The kittens were dancing too, with the larger cats. 

Then, Cole gave him a smug smile and tipped Vanitas over backwards, dipping him so low Vanitas felt the tips of his ears brush the floor. Vanitas felt his heart pounding as the blood rushed to his head. That had to be why his face felt hot. The loud music cut off, leaving only the sounds of harp strings reverberating around the room. Vanitas stared up at Cole, happy his fur hid the sudden redness of his face. Cole was practically glowing in the moonlight that streamed through the broken windows. Vanitas felt his heart pounding in his chest. When the hell did he get so... sentimental? It wasn’t fucking fair! The cats were still singing and playing softly, but he couldn’t pay attention to that. “Cole I-“

A sharp horn cut him off as the music picked up again. Scat Cat’s crew started bouncing on top of the piano, until the floor buckled underneath it, sending the piano and the cats crashing onto the floor below. 

Cole quickly let go of Vani, his hair standing up alertly. Cole peered down the new hole in the floor. “Well... I think they’re alright....” His tail swayed back and forth as he backed up. “There is a hole in your floor though.” 

Vani stood in a stunned kind of silence. He forgot how to breath. The only thing that convinced him that he was still alive was the deafening pounding sound coming from his chest. The heat spreading out over his face and down his chest weren’t reliable enough evidence. Vani slowly sank down to sit on his hind legs. The unversed, that... feeling, scurried towards him. It looked up at him and squeaked, tilting its head. 

Vanitas was snapped out of his daze when Thomas laughed and padded over to the hole in the floor. “Well... would you look at that....”

 

A long time later, Vanitas sat on the edge of the roof, as far from the window leading into the attic as he could. He felt his tail swaying aimlessly behind him, his fur blowing in the soft breeze. He looked out over the town, watching the stars slowly rising over the rooftops. What was wrong with him? Why did he feel so... lonely? Was Cole ignoring him? Was he just being too clingy? What was wrong with him? He hadn’t felt this anxious since.... He couldn’t remember. 

A soft sound came from behind him. Vanitas tensed, looking over his shoulder. Cole was picking his way across the slanted rooftop towards him. Perfect. Vanitas turned back around, not really sure if he wanted to see Cole right now. What was he supposed to say? But Cole didn’t get any closer. 

“Hey Vani...,” he said softly. “You okay?”

Vanitas huffed through his nose. “Of course. Why?” He glanced back at Cole. 

Cole was sitting a few feet away, close but not too close. His tail was curled around his feet. The unversed was nowhere in sight. Cole tilted his head, humming softly. “You seem... irritated.” He took a long time to come up with that word. 

Vanitas huffed, laying down, dropping his head onto his paws. “Guess I am....” 

Cole moved a little closer. “Any particular reason?”

“Several,” Vanitas answered before he could stop himself. Cole’s face appeared in his line of vision, bright blue eyes tugging on his heartstrings for answers. Vanitas sighed, shaking his head and looking away. “I told you... I don’t like that unversed.... It’s... too cuddly....”

Cole laid down next to him, but left space between them. That space felt like a void, pulling at Vanitas to fill it. But he didn’t. Cole tilted his head slightly. “So do you not like it being cuddly because it’s embarrassing or...?”

“It’s close when I can’t be....” Vanitas bit his tongue. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. 

Cole’s eyes widened and he made a small ‘oh’ sound. Then he gave a soft laugh. “Well, I’m not gonna carry you around, but I don’t mind being cuddly. My friends used to dog-pile each other all the time.” He snickered. “Though I suppose this would be a cat-pile....”

Vanitas looked at Cole out of the corner of his eye. How long were dates supposed to wait to do more than friends did? With a soft grumble that he didn’t really mean, he hefted himself up, moved over, and plopped himself down on top of Cole. Vanitas splayed out on top of him limply. Cole twisted and squirmed until he was laying on his back. He wrapped his arms around his back and Vanitas heard him purring softly. Vanitas huffed through his nose, pressing his face into Cole’s shoulder. Cole rubbed his cheek against Vani’s. Vanitas felt himself purring back at Cole, noting that it wasn’t the first time he’d purred at him. Once again, Vanitas really wished they were in their human forms. Vanitas decided, with an absolute kind of determination, that the next time an opportunity presented itself, when they were in their normal forms, he’d ask to kiss him. Screw the timeline of what he was ‘supposed’ to do, how long he was ‘supposed’ to wait to do more. He was never very good at waiting anyways. 

 

The next morning, they set out bright and early, wandering down the streets and alleys. Vani stayed close to Cole’s side, intertwining their tails, purring softly despite himself. Cole seemed oddly happy about that as well, since Vanitas caught him staring at him several times. Not that Vani was staring back or anything like that. 

The unversed also seemed more docile than usual. It was content, purring softly while clinging to Cole’s back. Surprisingly, Vanitas didn’t mind its presence today. Instead, he felt confident. He figured it must have been that since Cole liked the unversed, which was made of the emotions Vanitas felt rising inside him again, he felt like Cole would like those same emotions coming from Vanitas. 

The other cats stopped by an open gate. Vani looked up at a massive house in front of them. So this was Duchess’s house. He saw Duchess, who’d been walking ahead of them with Thomas, stop. She looked sadly at Thomas, saying something to him that Vanitas didn’t hear. 

“Looks like they’re safe back home...,” Cole said softly. 

Vani nodded slightly, pressing his shoulder against Cole’s. “Yeah.... What do you want to do now?”

Cole hummed softly. “Well... I guess we can go somewhere else....” He looked up at the house. Vanitas almost felt the light of Cole’s heart flicker sadly. He wasn’t sure what about though. 

He hesitated for a moment. “Let’s stay a little longer....” Vanitas tugged on Cole’s tail, coaxing him into following him. “We can look at the flowers in the yard. I’m sure Duchess won’t mind.” He smiled softly as Cole’s eyes lit up. Cole nodded eagerly and let Vani lead him into the yard of Duchess’s house. 

Vani pulled Cole behind a rose bush, so they were hidden from the windows of the house. Duchess may not mind them looking at the flowers, but the humans living there might. Vanitas let his tail let go of Cole’s and stepped up to the rose bush, pulling a bloom off of it. Then, with a smile, he put it on Cole’s head, tucked over his ear. 

Cole grinned and giggled. “Aww. Thank you Vani.” His heart was glowing warmly again, making Vani’s heart feel warmer too. Vani felt himself smile. Then the moment was broken. 

“Help! Help!” A shrill voice called. Vanitas huffed and scowled, peering out of the bushes to see a mouse running down the sidewalk, screeching for help. “Duchess and kittens... in trouble...!”

Vanitas looked back at Cole, seeing a grim look on his face. “We never did ask how they got so lost did we?” Vanitas asked, his voice full of a grim seriousness. 

Cole shook his head. He picked the flower off his head, storing it somewhere, with magic of course, then stepped out of the bushes. “Come on Vani. Let’s go rescue some cats.” 

 

They followed the sounds of hissing and meowing to a small stable behind the house. There was a horse inside, who spotted them and tossed her head urgently. Vanitas saw a human toss a bag into a trunk and lock it. Before he could even react, Thomas shot past them, leaping on top of the man. He was making an awful yowling sound, like someone was strangling... well, a cat. 

Cole leapt into action as well, dogging his claws into the back of the man’s leg, trying to get him to trip. Vanitas bounded after him, running full steam into the back of his knee. The man fell backwards, almost landing on top of Cole. But Cole danced out of the way of the falling body and jumped on top of the trunk. 

Vanitas saw a streak of orange as Thomas was flung off of the man, slamming into a wall. The horse screamed as the man grabbed a pitchfork, advancing on Thomas. Vanitas grit his teeth, reaching deep into his heart to pull out a desperate emotion. The rabbit shaped unversed leapt out of his shadow and jumped on the man’s back, wrapping its ears over his face. Vanitas leapt out of the way as the man stumbled backwards blindly. 

Vanitas heard more cats yowling and saw Scat Cat and his crew barge into the stable, leaping onto the man in a massive wave. The man wrenched the unversed off his face and swung it by the ears into the wall, into a conveniently placed hook. Vanitas winced and hissed, feeling like the hook was digging into his own back as the unversed disappeared into nothingness. His front leg buckled, making him crack his chin against the floor. One of the alley cats hissed out a warning and Vanitas rolled out of the way just as the man’s foot came down right where his head had just been. 

Vanitas leapt back, pressing himself against the wall. The man was flailing around, throwing cats off of him and twisting as they clawed at the soft parts of his skin. Vanitas was a little surprised that he still had both his eyes at this point. 

A loud thump drew his attention. Cole was hovering over the now open trunk, reaching down to help Thomas get the kittens out. He grabbed one kitten while Thomas and Duchess each had another. They scampered out of the way as the man swung at them with a pitchfork. Vanitas grit his teeth and snarled. He reached down into the darkest parts of his heart. He would not let that man hurt Cole. A large, vaguely human shaped, unversed sprang up from the ground. That stopped the man in his tracks.... right in front of the horse. The man just had enough time to stab his pitchfork through the unversed before the horse whinnied and bucked up her hind legs. She kicked the man, knocking him into the trunk, which closed over top of him. The trunk slid out of the stable.

 

Vanitas took several deep breaths, trying to calm down. The hair on his back was still raised, and it wouldn’t go down. His claws were digging into the stone floor, aching as he tried to pull them back. Cole made a small sound, padding over to him. “Vani.... Are you okay...?” 

Vanitas nodded silently, trying to steady himself. That hurt. That really hurt. He was having trouble breathing, but in the painful way this time. He forced himself to swallow, then take a deep breath. Cole pressed his head against Vanitas’s shoulder, rubbing his back gently. “It’s okay.... Just breath. You’ll be okay.”

Vanitas leaned into Cole, and stayed there even after he’d caught his breath. He closed his eyes, just focusing on breathing in and out. He could smell Cole. Cole smelled nice, like spring flowers, new paper, and worn leather and, of course, like light. But there was something else there too, another smell. Vanitas couldn’t quite place it... darkness. Cole smelled like darkness too. But it wasn’t Vanitas’s darkness smell on him. It was hidden well, layered under the leather, the paper, and the flowers. 

Vanitas almost asked Cole about it, about why he smelled like darkness underneath all of the rest of it, but he saw Thomas and Duchess approaching them. Reluctantly, he sat back, pulling away from Cole. Cole turned around and watched Thomas and Duchess approach, though he kept himself planted squarely between them and Vanitas. 

“I don’t know what just happened...,” Thomas started, eyes flickering around nervously. “But I’m pretty sure you two had something to do with it, right?”

Duchess stepped in front of him. “I think what Thomas is trying to say is... thank you, for helping us.” She smiled, tail waving slowly behind her. 

Cole smiled back at them. “You’re very welcome.” He glanced back at Vanitas. “We’re just glad you’re all safe. And... I think Vani and I should be going now....”

“Oh! No, you don’t have to leave!” Duchess cried, looking almost panicked. 

Cole shook his head. “Don’t worry Duchess. We were on our way anyways. It’s nothing you did.” Vanitas blinked. She thought it was her fault? He hadn’t picked up on that at all. 

Duchess smiled softly, visibly relaxing. “Well, do not hesitate to come back for a visit.” 

Cole nodded and grinned. “Sure thing!” He looked back at Vanitas again, swatting at him with his tail. “You ready to go?”

Vanitas nodded slightly. Cole pulled him onto his back legs, pushing him out of the stable. “Goodbye Duchess, Thomas. Goodbye kittens!” He waved a paw at the cats. 

Vanitas raised a curious eyebrow, but let Cole push him behind a bush. As soon as they were hidden safely out of sight, Cole dropped Vanitas and summoned his satchel to his hands. Vanitas blinked, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow as Cole dig around in his satchel. 

“What are you...?” Vanitas started, but he froze when he saw Cole take a very strong potion out of his bag. 

Cole ripped the cork off the bottle with his teeth. When he turned towards Vanitas, he looked like he was going to cry. “Okay... Vani.... D-don’t freak out....” He was looking down at Vanitas’s chest. 

Vanitas slowly looked down at his chest, feeling like a cold towel was being wrapped around him. There, on his chest were three small holes. Vanitas inhaled sharply. Why wasn’t he in pain? Why didn’t it hurt? Why did that... happen...?

Cole appeared in his vision, even though it was tunneling. “Vani. Vani. Look at me. Don’t panic. I’m gonna put the potion on now.” Vanitas bit his tongue when he felt the potion hit his wound. Green tendrils of light spread around him, dancing as it repaired the damage. Vanitas suddenly felt light headed, falling backwards onto the ground. He was breathing a little heavier than normal. But at least he could breath now. 

Vanitas closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. Those wounds... they mimicked the way the unversed had died. Did they somehow transfer to him...? They must have. But how...? Oh. He must have put more of himself into it than usual. He’d been so panicked, so determined to protect Cole, he must have pushed too much into the unversed. So much that, when it died, the emotions and its injuries had returned to him. Vanitas made a mental note of that. Lesson learned. 

Vanitas sat up slowly, seeing a worried Cole hovering over him. “Thanks....” He smiled up at Cole. 

Cole let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the ground. “You’re okay now?” Vanitas nodded. He rolled onto his feet and stepped forward, rubbing his nose against Cole’s cheek. Cole laughed softly, rolling to his feet. He shook himself, then stretched. “Well. I don’t know about you, but I think I’m just about done with this world.” He tilted his head at Vanitas. 

Vani snickered softly, then laughed and nodded. “Yeah I think so too.” He raised his hand and summoned a corridor. “Let’s find somewhere to get some peace.” He glanced towards Cole’s back, seeing that the- that Sweetie had crawled back onto his back. 

Cole hummed softly, moving towards the portal. “Well, we can always hope I guess,” he laughed softly. 

Vanitas fell into step beside him, nudging him with his shoulder. He laughed quietly to himself, shaking his head. Going off their track record so far, there would probably be at least some excitement. “Yeah. I guess.” But, that wouldn’t be so bad... since Cole was with him. They stepped through the corridor. 

 

When he stepped out of the other side, the world felt stale. That was the first thing to come to mind. The air itself was stale. The sky was a murky color and there was a kind of stillness all around them. Vanitas looked around, noting that they were back to normal again. They were on a stone bridge, overgrown with moss and grass. There was a forest around them, but it was completely devoid of any signs of animal life. There weren’t any sounds of birds or... anything. There was some kind of castle in the distance, but that was hardly a good identifier. A lot of worlds had castles. 

“Oh hey...!” Cole gasped. “I’ve been here before!” And with a sinking feeling, Vanitas realized he had been here too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Maoi (Moana) voice* And the [ Sweetie](https://mewhoismyself.tumblr.com/post/183279624249/maoi-moana-voice-and-the-sweetie) lives!
> 
> Honestly, I was gonna post ^ that last chapter and kill Sweetie this chapter. But I forgot to post it so I couldn’t. Also somebody~ commented on how they wanted Cole to find out what emotion Sweetie really was. So now I gotta do that! >:0
> 
> And, as always, thank you guys so much for reading! And commenting too! I really didn’t think people would like this so much and seeing how much you guys like it make my heart do the melting thing. o(>///<)o
> 
> EDIT: I almost forgot! I wonder if anybody noticed something I started doing~ Tecnically I started doing it last chapter but more so in this chapter. >:3c


	18. Enchanted Dominion

Vanitas bit his lip nervously. This world was dangerous. He hadn’t been back to the Enchanted Dominion since... well, since he’d spread his unversed here to challenge Ventus and his friends. He’d heard, from Xehanort and his organization, that Maleficent had abandoned this world. Vanitas sincerely hoped they were right. The last thing he wanted to do in this world was run into /her/ of all people. Cole took a step forward, looking towards the castle in the distance. He seemed to be lost in thought. Sweetie was back in his favorite place, lounging comfortably in Cole’s hood. He turned his head to stare at Vanitas. 

“I wonder how Aurora is...,” Cole breathed softly, talking more to himself than to Vanitas. 

But.... Vanitas blinked. How did...? “You... know the princess here?” He asked, leaning forward to look at Cole’s face. Did he know that she’d been a princess of heart? Come to think of it... he’d met Cole in the Dwarf Woodlands, another world that had housed a princess of heart. Vanitas felt like he was on the brink of something. 

Cole blinked, seemingly snapping out of his daze. “What? Oh. Yeah I do. Princess Aurora. She’s really nice.” Cole grinned widely, bouncing happily on the balls of his feet. “Can we go say hi?” He was beaming at Vani, his heart practically shining. 

As if he could say no to that. 

Vani smiled and nodded. “Of course.” He started walking towards the castle, slipping his hand into Cole’s as he passed him. He pulled Cole along with him, feeling the warmth of his hand through his glove. 

Cole smiled happily, walking just close enough to occasionally clip Vanitas’s shoulder with his own or brush his knuckles against the loose fabric of Vanitas’s pants. Vani felt his heart flutter slightly. That wasn’t fair. That’s not fair! How could Cole make him so flustered with such small actions? It wasn’t fucking fair. 

Vanitas glanced down at their intertwined hands, feeling a rush of heat run up his arm and across his face. He made himself look away, turning his eyes to scan the edges of the forest. There weren’t any sounds, any signs of life, besides the clicking of their boots against the stone bridge. There was something very wrong here. The world should have been lively and colorful, but it was... kind of grey. That was the only way he could describe it. 

Cole hummed softly, singing an upbeat tune that Vanitas only sort of recognized. His hand tightened against Vanitas’s. So he sensed it too. Vanitas couldn’t help but wonder... how much of Cole’s cheerful personality was an act... or a defense mechanism? He was pretty sure he’d thought that before, but never quite figured out the answer. Vanitas curled the fingers of his freehand, readying himself to summon his Dark Heart at a moment’s notice. There was just something wrong about this world. He had to be ready in case....

But nothing happened. 

 

They stopped for a break once, more to put off reaching the castle than actually needing a break. Cole settled himself against a broken part of the road’s wall, pulling Sweetie out of his hood and onto his lap. Vanitas settled himself across from Cole, their knees just barely touching. Cole stroked Sweetie’s back, humming a soft tune that was a little more mournful than the one from before. Vanitas propped his chin on his hand, watching Cole’s face shift through different emotions as he hummed his song. 

Vanitas’s eyes dipped slightly, watching Cole’s lips twitch with each note. He should totally... he really should... he wanted to.... “Cole...?” Vani asked softly, eyes flickering back up to look into Cole’s crystal blue eyes. Cole didn’t stop humming, merely quieting a little as he tilted his head curiously, looking back into Vani’s eyes. Vani felt his mouth go dry. He forced himself to swallow and clear his throat. “Uh....” Vani looked up at Cole, feeling something twist his stomach into a giant knot. Was he really nervous? How stupid!

“What are you singing?” He asked, unable to stop himself. Damn it! That’s not what he’d meant to ask. 

Cole’s eyes widened a little. “Oh!” He flushed a little. “I didn’t even realize I was doing that.” He scratched his head sheepishly. “It’s a... a song Apollo taught me. It’s in another language, his native language, so I can’t really sing it that well. But I like the tune.” He smiled a little shyly, looking down at the unversed stretched out in his lap. Was he...? Yeah. He was blushing. 

Vani felt his lips pull themselves into a soft smile. “Could you sing something else for me?” 

Cole blushed even more, his face turning red. “Yeah.... Yeah I can do that.” He chewed on his lip thoughtfully. His eyes fluttered a little, leaving them only partly open as Cole stared down at the stones between them. Vani tilted his head slightly, feeling something tugging at his heart. Then Cole started singing. 

“If you’ll be my star, I’ll be your sky~ You can hide underneath~ me and come out at night. When I turn jet black, and you show off your light~” Cole started swaying, rocking from side to side ever so slightly. Vanitas looked a little closer at him and saw Cole’s heart glowing with the tune, growing brighter and dimming in beat. It looked like it was breathing. Vanitas narrowed his eyes a little. He hadn’t seen it glow that bright before, or that dim. 

“I live to let you shine...~ I live to let you shine~” Vani leaned forward a little, tilting his head. That sounded interesting. Was it a love song or something? That sounded... nice. He liked it when Cole shined. 

“You can skyrocket away~ from me~ and never come back, if you find another galaxy~ far from here, with more room to fly~” Cole’s eyes fluttered open. He looked Vani in the eye, smiling softly. “Just leave me your stardust to remember you by~”

Vani felt the tugging on his heart pull harder. Suddenly he felt so sad.... Suddenly he didn’t think this was such a nice love song. Cole seemed to sense his emotions shifting. He reached forward, interlacing Vani’s fingers with his own. 

“If you’ll be my boat~ I’ll be your sea~ the depth of pure blue, just to probe curiosity~ ebbing and flowing, and pushed by a breeze~” He smiled softly, rubbing his thumb against Vani’s hand. “I live to make you free~ I live to make you free...~ But you can set sail to the west, if you want to. Past the horizon~ until I can’t even~ see~ you... far from here, where the beaches are wide~ just leave me your wake~ to remember you by~” 

Vani felt a ball of emotion rising in his throat. Was this supposed to be a goodbye song? A wave of panic rose to meet the ball of sadness in his throat. He bit his lip and swallowed the emotion down. Cole smiled softly, but looked a little worried. He leaned in closer, pressing their foreheads together. He sang the last verse very softly, almost in a whisper. “If you’ll be my star~ I’ll be your sky~ you can hide underneath me and come out at night~” 

Vani bit his lip hard, then touched his hand to Cole’s cheek. His thumb pressed against Cole’s lips, stopping his song. Cole blinked, seemingly coming back to reality. He stared up at Vanitas with his crystal blue eyes. Vani took a deep breath. “I... This song is so sad....” He let out his breath, feeling it shake slightly. 

“Oh... I’m sorry Vani...,” Cole said around his thumb. 

Vani shook his head slightly. “It....” Something twisted painfully in his chest. “It sounds like you’re saying goodbye.... And I... I don’t...!”

Cole’s hand wrapped around his, slowly pulling it down, away from his face. He held both of Vani’s hands in his own, cradling them between their knees. “Oh Vani.... I’m so sorry. That’s not.... I’m not leaving. I promise.” Cole pressed his forehead against Vani’s, letting out a soft sigh as he let his eyes fall shut. “I guess it is a goodbye song... but I wasn’t saying goodbye to you.” His eyes fluttered open so he was staring straight into Vani’s. Vani felt his chest tighten. He nodded slightly, forcing himself to swallow. 

Cole smiled softly, squeezing his hands. “How about a different song then? One that’s happier.” Vani nodded again, not trusting himself to speak without his voice cracking. Since when did he become so fragile? Or... maybe it was just Cole. Vanitas guessed... he assumed that this is what it felt like to have a weakness. He supposed... having just one was fine... since he liked having him so much. 

Cole let out a soft breath and started singing a soft song. “Floating~ beyond time~ there’s a city made of wind.... Please dear... take me there~ where dreams~ draped in white flowers~ come true...~” He smiled softly at Vani, holding his hands a little tighter. Vani watched Cole’s thumbs trace patterns on his palms, he could just barely feel it through his gloves. On more instinct than anything else, Vanitas pried his gloves off, keeping his hands as still as he could. He tossed the gloves onto Cole’s lap, or rather, onto Sweetie’s back. The unversed looked mildly offended, but didn’t care enough to move. 

Cole laughed softly, stuttering in his song. He snickered softly for a moment, then returned to singing as he started tracing the lines of Vanitas’s hands with his fingers. He sang with a smile on his lips now. “Holding anxious hands~ calm me with a kiss and then~ please dear guide me there~ when all~ that was forgotten... can~ bloom...~”

Cole sat back a little, but still held onto Vani’s hands. Vani looked up at him through the hair hanging over his eyes, pressing his lips together to keep himself from grinning like an idiot. He still had standards.... He still had his pride. He did.... Cole’s eyes fluttered shut. Vani felt like he’d stopped breathing. Oh he was definitely in trouble....

“And darling~ in the afternoon... we’ll sleep in the sun~ and wake to a time when~ the hunting is done.... and then when I see you~ I’ll know in my heart what I’ve won~ Please dear~ take me there~....” There was a long moment where that last note just hung in the air. Then Cole’s eyes slid open, and he blushed. He glanced down at his lap, then back at Vani’s face. 

“Um... Vani...?” He turned his head downwards, towards Sweetie. His blond hair fell in front of his eyes, cutting them out of Vanitas’s sight. Vani blinked, straightening up. Cole hesitated for another moment. “Um....” He looked up at Vani through the hair that fell in front of his face. “Vani you’re... scowling....” 

Vanitas blinked, then shook his head. “Uh... no. That’s... I mean....” He hung his head. “Sorry.”

Cole smiled softly and shook his head. “It’s okay. Did you like the song?”

Vanitas nodded slightly. “It’s a lot... less sad...?” He smiled sheepishly. 

Cole snickered. “Yeah. I guess it is.” He smiled a little wider. The unversed in his lap squeaked indignantly. Cole laughed softly and moved one hand to pet it. He left his other hand where it was though. Vanitas twisted his hand around so he was holding Cole’s. He felt himself smile softly. Yeah.... He was strong enough to deal with having just one weakness....

 

As Vanitas stared up at the castle in front of them, a broken black stone castle that was covered in ivy and practically crumbling, he couldn’t help but feel relieved that Maleficent had started her conquest of the worlds a long time ago. “Well...,” Cole said, putting one hand on his hip. “I don’t think this is Aurora’s house.”

Vani snorted, then slapped a hand over his mouth and nose. Cole snickered quietly, side-eyeing him. Vanitas shot a glare towards him, slowly lowering his hand. “I think... this isn’t anyone’s house anymore....”

Cole hummed in agreement. “Pretty sure this is Maleficent’s castle. But last time I saw her....” Cole shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “She really wasn’t in any shape to use it....” 

Vani hummed softly, tilting his head. “Well... shouldn’t be a problem then.”

Cole tapped his finger against his lips, making a long ‘hmmmmm’ sound. “Well... wanna go inside?”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. “Why...?” He actually really didn’t. 

Cole shrugged. “We can get a vantage point and see which way Aurora’s castle is. And....” He hesitated. “I really just kinda wanna see inside. I got trapped here you know.”

Vanitas raised both eyebrows, watching Cole walk up to the doors of the castle and give them a big shove. The wood creaked loudly as the doors slowly swung open, then got stuck half way. Cole brushed his hands off, smiling smugly. “Man this place got old fast.” 

Vanitas paused, the gears in his head spinning. Something... wasn’t quite lining up. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what... but something here was... off. When he looked up again, Cole was already through the doors, looking back at him. “Something wrong?”

Yes, he wanted to say. But he couldn’t say why. So Vani shook his head and followed Cole into the castle. 

 

If the outside of the castle felt weird, the inside felt unnatural. Whatever was affecting the world out there, was ten times stronger in here. Vanitas felt like his heart was trying to crawl out of his own skin. This place made him feel sick, almost like the air itself was slowly poisoning him. Cole was feeling it too, going by the clench of his jaw. Sweetie had shrunk, though Vanitas was sure it was on purpose, and Cole had moved him down to his front pocket. Vanitas was tempted to spawn more unversed, if only to help them keep a lookout. But he didn’t want to risk slowing himself down if it did come to a fight. He couldn’t push his way through all that pain. 

Cole stayed close to Vanitas, but lead the way deeper into the castle. They wandered through passages and courtyards, slowly but surely approaching the tallest tower in the center of the castle. Vanitas wasn’t surprised to not see any of Maleficent’s old guards and minions. They had probably all fled into the woods when she abandoned this world. 

They reached the center of the castle, a large ballroom with a half collapsed roof. They stood in the doorway leading to another overgrown courtyard and stared up at the tower. It was crumbling even more than the rest of the stone. It looked like something very large had crashed into it. It was still standing, but there were gaping holes in the tower and the wall around it had buckled. Vanitas really didn’t want to test how sturdy it was. Thankfully Cole didn’t either. 

“Umm... Maybe... we could go try a different tower...,” Cole mumbled. He took a step back into the ballroom. 

Vanitas stayed there a moment longer. He stared at the tower like it might hold the answer to the uneasy feeling he had. But nothing answered him. With a sigh, Vanitas turned and took a few steps into the ballroom. Then he froze. 

Cole was standing still just a few steps ahead of Vanitas. He was staring up at a figure on the balcony at the top of the staircase. The figure was dressed in a long black robe with a cape that moved more like living shadows than any kind of fabric. Two long black horns stretched above their head like a crown. And, in a hand with dangerous looking black nails, a staff glowed with a soft green light. Maleficent was home. 

Vanitas felt himself freeze, that unsettled feeling suddenly unbearable. A barbed snake that looked like a living rose stem slithered out of his shadow. 

Maleficent leered down at them, drumming her fingernails against the length of her staff. “My my, it appears I have an infestation of foolish rats....” There was a sadistic purr in her voice as she said, “I shall have to exterminate them.”

Vanitas snapped out of his shock, calling out a warning to Cole as Maleficent raised her arms and summoned a swarm of heartless. The heartless clawed their way out of shadows and scampered out from behind pillars. Maleficent turned with a dramatic flare and disappeared. Vanitas grit his teeth and did a quick mental tally, estimating that there must be about fifty, all of the more common and weaker varieties. 

In an instant Dark Heart appeared in his hand. Vanitas spun on his heel, bringing the keyblade down through a heartless that had jumped at his back. Vanitas glanced back at Cole, seeing him still in the same place, but thankfully had both keyblades drawn. Vanitas backed up so he was back to back with Cole. 

Cole looked over his shoulder at him. “I’ll take the ones on the left you take the ones on the right?”

Vani huffed, but felt a grin spread across his face. “Donno~ think you can handle it?” 

Vani felt Cole’s back shift against his own, pushing more weight on him. He practically felt Cole grinning. 

“Well, we might be in trouble if one more shows up,” he laughed. 

Vani let out a laugh, feeling a grin practically dripping with darkness slide across his face. “Two more,” he corrected. “I already killed one.”

Cole snickered. “Well let’s bring that number up!” He pushed off Vanitas’s back and charged into the crowd of heartless. Vani felt himself grinning even wider as he flung a blade of dark energy through the front line of heartless. 

Vani was a whirlwind of destruction, cutting through the mass of heartless. Heartless exploded into dust and shadow around him. They were making it too easy! Vani vaulted off a large heartless and landed on the top of a broken pillar. His eyes found Cole and he found himself impressed. 

Cole definitely wasn’t nearly as quick or as powerful as Vanitas. But each and every one of his attacks hit and hit hard. Vani watched as Cole summoned spheres of magic and slammed them down onto a group of heartless, using several different kinds of elements at once. Then he turned around and delivered seven quick slashes to a large heartless, slicing it to pieces. 

Cole’s eyes found Vani and he grinned. “Take cover! I’m gonna try something flashy and I don’t wanna hit you!” Vani grinned and jumped down on the far side of the pillar, pressing his back against it. 

There was barely a warning. It sounded like a few puffs of flame igniting and dying. Then the deafening roar of an explosion shook the room. Vani grit his teeth and pressed even harder against the pillar as a wave of fire roared past him on either side. Then the flames died in an instant. Vani staggered away from the pillar, peering around it to see Cole standing in the middle of the empty room. The room was empty. The heartless were gone. 

Vani felt his jaw drop as an offended look took over his face. “Could you do that this whole damn time?!” He ignored the part of him that chillingly told him he knew that attack. 

Cole blew a lock of hair out of his face. “Well... yeah. It only really works against the weaker ones though. And I can’t exactly aim it. So there wasn’t a point using it before.” He shrugged and grinned sheepishly, making his way towards Vani. 

Vani was debating on how hard to smack him, leaning more towards moderately hard, when a pillar of green fire erupted right in front of Cole. Cole yelped and stumbled backwards, until the end of a staff slammed into the soft part of his shoulder and forced him to the ground. Cole grunted as his back collided with the stone floor. 

Vani took a step forward, then stopped when he saw Maleficent. She was staring down at Cole, an evil smile on her face. “Ah... I recognize that.... So that’s who you are.” She glanced over her shoulder at Vanitas and flicked her wrist. Twenty more heartless scrambled out of the shadows and jumped at Vani. He had no choice but to turn and defend himself. When he turned back, the heartless nothing more than dust scattered over the broken floor and a hollow feeling opening in his chest, Vanitas saw that Cole was gone. 

Vanitas felt the hollow feeling spreading, like every part of him was crumbling away into nothing. He couldn’t lose him. He couldn’t lose his light again. He wouldn’t lose his light. Not again. Vanitas grit his teeth and pulled all the crumbled pieces of himself back, then pushed them into a new shape. Unversed formed around him, becoming solid through sheer force of will alone. He sent them out with one command. “Find Cole.”

 

The first to return came back as emptiness and pain. They carried vague memories of heartless swarms ripping their bodies apart. They brought regret and sadness with them. Vanitas took those new emotions and forced them into new bodies, sending them out in front of him. He stalked the halls by himself. Even the company of the unversed hurt, for the few moments it took for them to form and scamper away. The hollow feeling had disappeared, replaced with just the feeling of nothing that came upon him whenever he stretched himself too thin. Vanitas knew that it would hurt when he finally called his army back. He didn’t care. 

Another heartless jumped at him from the shadows, intent on digging its claws into him. Vanitas barely even looked up as he cleaved it in two with his Dark Heart. The heartless gave a cry as it died, releasing its heart. Vanitas paid it no mind, not even pausing in his stride. 

Another unversed returned with a howl of pain and fear. Vanitas barely noticed the pain. Instead, the hint of a memory it brought along with it caught his eye. A darkside breed heartless. He turned his head, looking back the way he’d come. That unversed had come from that way. 

With a mental command given, more unversed converged on that place. Vanitas closed his eyes, looking through their eyes. He chose one to focus his will through, picking a small creature, made of desperation. The unversed crowded at the end of the passage, waiting for more to gather. When their numbers were satisfactory, they swarmed the heartless, overwhelming it with agile numbers. They tore into its legs and feet, ripping chunks and strips of shadow off it until it toppled and was swallowed by the swarm. 

Vanitas felt the unversed he looked through huff and scratch anxiously at the ground. “Look deeper,” he commanded it, ignoring the wails of the dying heartless. His eyes cawed in acknowledgement and crept deeper down the passage. 

There, at the end of the corridor, there was a small door, made with heavy wood and metal. That was hardly a hinderance. His eyes sunk into the floor, creeping through the doorway as a shadow sliding across the ground. 

It scrambled out of the ground on the other side. It and Vanitas saw a dark room, illuminated by two sources of light. One was a sickly green, cast from Maleficent’s staff as she held it aloft. She was speaking in tongues, an ancient language that Vanitas didn’t care enough to translate for himself. He was too focused on the other source of light. This one, which wasn’t Cole’s heart thank lux, was a cocoon shape, spread around Cole’s motionless body like a protective barrier. He was laying on a raised stone platform, at about table height, covered in a shell like light. Then Vanitas realized that it was a barrier, bright red and woven with gold and speckled with gold stars. 

The unversed moved, getting a better angle to see Cole laying out on Maleficent’s table. Cole’s left hand was laid across his chest, Stars Align held tightly in his hand. So that was throwing up a shield on its own? Cole certainly wasn’t conscious enough to be channeling energy into it. And it was standing up against Maleficent’s magic too. That was....

Vanitas narrowed his eyes, refocusing his mind. He’d found Cole. That was what was important. He sent out another command to his unversed and withdrew his mind from the one playing his eyes. 

Vanitas opened his eyes, back in his proper body. With an urgent pace, he set off down the maze of passageways, following the mental map his unversed minions had sniffed out. 

Waves of pain slowed him only slightly as his swarm of unversed were cut down one by one. It hardly deterred him. If anything, each shock of returning emotion only spurred him on further, faster. 

Desperation returned in a flash, and suddenly Vanitas was sprinting down the halls, turning corners without hesitation. He had to get to Cole. He had to find him. 

Almost all of his unversed had returned by the time he reached the heavy wooden door. Dark Heart jumped into his hand and in an instant he drove it through the door. The bar of wood keeping the door locked shattered. He kicked the door open so hard it slammed into the wall behind it. He stepped into the room, keyblade gripped tightly in his hand. 

Vanitas found the room on the other side nearly abandoned, the only source of light was the barrier around Cole. It shimmered gently, throwing shadows of his unversed against the walls. Dark Heart dispelled with a shimmer of darkness. There were maybe two dozen unversed left, all crowding around then barrier worriedly. As Vanitas approached, they parted for him, scrambling to get out of his way. 

Vanitas worked one glove off, his left glove. He let his bare fingertips run over the barrier, feeling the warm thrum of a heartbeat inside. He let out a shaky sigh of relief, almost collapsing. Cole was okay. He was okay. Vanitas dropped his head against the barrier, pressing his forehead against it. “It’s okay.... It’s me. I’m here. You can let me in....” 

The barrier flickered and faded, letting Vanitas’s hand fall onto Cole’s, which was still tightly holding Stars Align. Vanitas wrapped his hand around Cole’s, trying his best to hold it. His hand was so warm without the gloves. Vani felt a smile spread across his face. “Cole....” 

There was a moment’s pause.  
Nothing happened. 

Vani straightened up a little, his eyebrows furrowing. “Cole?” Cole didn’t respond. The unversed hissed and shifted uncomfortably around him. A feeling of dread well up inside him. “Cole! Wake up...!” Vani grabbed Cole’s shoulders and shook him. 

Nothing happened. 

Vani bit his lip so hard he felt it split, spilling blood into his mouth. It tasted like darkness more than iron. Vanitas pressed his ear against Cole’s chest, straining his hearing. He heard a slow, weak heartbeat. His heart was still there. He was still alive! But the light was dimming and his breathing was becoming more and more shallow by the minute. Vani felt himself breathing faster than normal, his own heart racing in his chest. The unversed reacted to his rising emotions, squawking and chittering amongst themselves. Vani needed quiet. He recalled all his unversed, ignoring the shudders of pain that rolled across his body. 

He leaned down, pressing his forehead against the handle of Stars Align. “What do I do? I don’t know how to help him....” His voice sounded weak and fragile, even to himself. He sounded broken. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. He couldn’t lose his light again. The last time....

Cole’s lifeless form, still stubbornly clinging to his heart, reminded him of Ventus. How delicate he’d looked when they had been newly separated. He’d been so weak, he wouldn’t have survived if not for-.... Vani’s head snapped up. Sora.... Ventus would have died, and most likely Vanitas along with him, if not for Sora...! 

Vani didn’t know if it would do anything, if it could do anything. But he had to try. It was the only idea he had. He had to try. Vani gathered Cole’s limp body in his arms, desperately reaching out with his mind, or maybe his heart, looking for Sora. He had to find him. He had to find Sora. Cole was barely breathing now. Vani couldn’t even see the light of his heart now. It was too faint. 

Vani felt like screaming. He couldn’t fix this! He was darkness. He couldn’t bring a heart back to light. Cole was fading fast, losing a battle with whatever Maleficent had Don’t to him. And he was powerless to save him! Vani had to save him. But he couldn’t. He was darkness. 

Finally, he found something, like a pinprick of light pulling at him from out beyond this world. Instantly a corridor appeared, drawing Vani in like it had its own gravity. He moved forward, stumbling from the extra weight. He righted himself and sprinted into the doorway. He tried not to jostle Cole too much. His foot caught on something and he stumbled into the corridor. 

 

The light on the other side was bright, too bright. Vani felt himself tip too far off balance. He knew he was going to fall. He twisted himself around, holding Cole protectively against his chest. His back slammed into something, some kind of table or desk. He heard gasps and shouts of alarm as he forced his eyes open. He recognized that there were other people in the room, but he couldn’t register who they were. His eyes found Sora’s, wide with surprise as he gasped in shock. 

“Vanitas?!” Sora took a step forward, but a hand on his shoulder pulled him back.

Vani opened his mouth, feeling his voice choke itself. He could barely breathe. But he forced himself too. Sora could help. Sora would help. Vani forced his voice to work. “Cole...! He’s hurt.... Maleficent-“ 

Something, some kind of spell, collided with his back, squarely between his shoulder blades. Suddenly his head felt fuzzy. A comfortable darkness crept across his mind as his eyelids dropped. Vani felt himself slide down the side of the desk, his legs giving out underneath him. He didn’t let go of Cole though, even as his head flopped down against his chest. Vani felt the darkness overtake him. And he fell into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used:  
> “Boats and Birds” by Gregory and the Hawk
> 
> “City Made of Wind” from Tsubasa Cronicle
> 
>  
> 
> Aaaaaaand now I wait for my reader friends to strangle me.... >,>  
> Sorry!! I love y’all!
> 
> Also Blanket Spoiler Warning from here on out. If you haven’t played KH3 yet, read the next chapters at your own risk! You have been warned~!
> 
> Although I will be changing some things about the ending. I hope you lovely readers will enjoy what I do~
> 
> Also~! I wonder if anybody’s noticed the thing I was doing with Vani’s name~~~ :}c
> 
> Also also! Would you guys be interested in me making a tumblr blog for this? I can post doodles and non/semi-canonical oneshots and such. Let me know!
> 
> And thank you all so much for reading! This is so much bigger and more popular than I was expecting! And I’m always so excited to hear what you all think! It’s been a blast, And I defiantly will do more! >:3c


	19. Mysterious Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Spoiler Warning**  
>  Warning for the ending of Kingdom Hearts 3. Just like, the whole rest of the game. This will have a different ending from KH3, but there definitely will be some overlap too. 
> 
> You have been _warned~_!!

The first thing to come back to him was the feeling of warmth wrapped around him. There was something laying on his chest, rising and falling with his breathing. He wasn’t in pain, which surprised him, but he wasn’t going to complain about it. 

The next thing he could perceive was the sound of voices. He heard people, at least three, talking somewhere near him. He couldn’t make out what they were saying. Someone sounded upset. Someone was trying to keep them calm. Someone sounded angry. Someone else snapped back. Oh. Four people. He strained his hearing, and managed to make out what they were saying. 

“Why should we trust him? He’s dangerous.” That was the angry voice. 

“You didn’t see how much he’s changed!” That was who sounded upset. That voice sounded familiar....

“He’s right. He did come to us for help.” That one was trying to keep the others calm. “And he did say something about Maleficent....” 

Oh right. Maleficent. He tried to sit up, but only felt his body twitch slightly. That wasn’t helpful. 

“He looked really worried about....” That was the voice that had snapped. It sounded familiar too. It was coming from much closer to him too. 

“His friend!” That was who was upset. That was.... “His name is Cole. He’s a keyblade wielder too.” That was Sora! 

His eyes flew open as he threw his body upright. His head slammed into something hard, eliciting a yelp, more of surprise than pain, from whatever was sitting over him. A small unversed squeaked as it rolled down his chest and fell into his lap. Vani clutched his forehead. “Ow...! Fuck....” He forced his eyes open, first seeing the unversed in his lap. This was another unusual one, dark reds and blacks looking a bit like a marshmallow with sticks for legs. It’s bushy tail flicked behind it irritably, then it squeaked at him. 

Vani slowly realized that he was laying in a bed, a small medical cot... or something. There was a white sheet that’s been spread across him, now pooled in his lap, that was practically radiating heat. So it was magic then. His head throbbed where he’d smacked it. He pressed his hand against the injured area, wincing slightly. 

Vani forced himself to look higher, seeing someone sitting on the edge of the bed, hunched over and holding their head. He saw blond hair and for a moment his heart leapt into his throat. Then he saw its style and color, and his heart sank. “Ventus....” He tried not to growl. 

The other people in the room.... Sora was standing closest, one hand outstretched like he was ready to pull Ventus to safety at a moment’s notice. His eyes were bright and open, almost as if his heart was trying to pull Vanitas back into it. Vani wouldn’t let that happen. 

Standing right behind him, shoulders set and eyes narrowed, was a man with silver hair..., ‘Riku’ his subconscious supplied. He was Sora’s friend. He looked ready for a fight. But he hadn’t summoned his keyblade. 

Then, the last person, the angry voice, oh. That was Aqua. Her keyblade was in her hand. She was expecting a fight. She was staring him down, almost daring him to move again. Vani decided he would not give her an excuse to stab him. 

He turned back to Ventus, seeing him sit up, smiling warmly at him. Vani suddenly got the urge to punch him. He shoved the feeling down, narrowing his eyes at Ventus. “Hey... Vanitas,” Ventus said softly. “Um... how are you feeling...?” He looked concerned, though that was possibly due to the death glare Vani was giving him. 

Vani sighed, deciding to answer. Then a cold feeling washed over him. “Where’s Cole?” 

Ventus blinked, then pointed across the room. For the first time, Vani saw the room. It was a small room, probably too small for a dozen people to comfortably stand in it. But there were two cot-beds, his own and one holding a sleeping Cole. Vani moved to get up, but Aqua hefted her keyblade, staring him down. 

Ventus held up his hand to calm her down, but Sora spoke first. “He’s alright.” He held his hands up, smiling softly at Vani. “He’s just asleep. Yen Sid was able to stabilize him so he’s not in danger anymore.” He dropped his hands, his smile growing wider and warmer. “He’s alright Vanitas. Thanks to you.”

Vani felt his whole body relax, letting out a sigh as he fell back against the pillow. He refused to look weak though, so he pulled one arm over his eyes, burying his face in the crook of his elbow. “Maleficent did something. She... she took him away and when I found him... Stars had a barrier up.”

“Stars?” Riku asked. Vani heard him shifting, and peaked out from under his arm to see him relaxing. So he didn’t see Vanitas as a threat... or at least not an immediate one. 

“That’s his keyblade,” Vani answered. “Or... one of them. That one belonged to a friend of his. He doesn’t talk about her much. I think he said she died....” 

Sora’s head tilted. “Can you do that? I didn’t know you could do that.” He looked back at Riku. “That’s different from....”

Riku put a hand on Sora’s head. Sora’s pupils went big. Vani half expected him to start purring. “Yeah, that’s different from when you used mine.” 

Vani tried not to roll his eyes. He pushed himself up again, pulling his knee up and folding one arm over it. “I didn’t see what Maleficent did to him, but whatever it was... it was killing him....” He looked down at the unversed in his lap, curled up around itself and staring across the room mournfully. 

Aqua finally lowered her keyblade, but didn’t dispel it. “Why should we trust you? You’ve attacked us before. You’ve hurt us before. Because of your actions, Ven lost his heart and Terra was taken over by darkness.” She sounded a little bitter.

Vani bit the inside of his lip. She had every right to hate him. He couldn’t blame her for that. He had done horrible things. He’d threatened the people she cared about. He’d even hurt them. He understood that now, how much it hurt. “I don’t care if you trust me. You can hate me forever if you want.” He forced himself to look her in the eyes, despite how weak it made him feel. 

Aqua has always been a bright light. She was headstrong and followed her heart without question. And she was strong. She had demanded his respect. And now, her light was even stronger than ever. She shone like a sun, no, brighter. She was this pure, bright light, the kind that cut through shadows like a knife. And Vani was different than before. Once he’d considered her an equal opposite, compared his darkness to her light. But now... he was this tiny shadow, a pitiful little thing, barely holding itself together under the blinding spotlight of her heart. 

It hurt, looking her in the eye. He wasn’t strong enough to face her now, not as light and darkness. She seemed to realize that. She knew he wasn’t... whatever he was before. Her eyes softened. Her light burned him a little less. Vani swallowed, forcing himself to speak. “I’m not asking you to forgive me. But please... save him...!” 

A soft hand touched his shoulder. Reflexively, Vani thought it was Cole. But when he turned, it was Ventus sitting there, smiling softly at him. “Don’t worry. We’ll help as best we can.” And Vani believed him. He felt his shoulders relax and a small smile crept onto his face. 

Ventus’s light was bright too, but it didn’t burn like Aqua’s did. But it wasn’t the gentle kind of light that Cole, or even Sora, had. It was bright, but more flexible. It was the kind of light that could wrap itself around darkness. That light had once been Vanitas’s home. But now Vani knew he wouldn’t fit inside his heart. And for the first time, he was happy about that. He didn’t want to return to Ventus’s heart. 

A small knock came from the door. Vani’s head snapped up. A small head, covered in a mop of reddish brown hair, peered into the room. “Master Yen Sid said to come get you.” She glanced around the room, then her eyes landed on Vani. Oh. So this was the girl Sora was friends with. ‘Kairi’ his subconscious piped up. She looked back at Sora. “He said to bring both the ‘guests’ too.” 

Aqua nodded, looking down at Vani. “Alright then.” She looked over at Riku. “Help me push the bed?” She gestured towards the bed Cole was laying in. Riku hesitated, looking back at Sora, then Ventus, and finally Vani. Then he nodded slowly and moved to join her. The unversed in Vani’s lap took a running leap and leapt off his bed, bounced across the floor in three great jumps, and landed on the pillow, right next to Cole’s head. Vani huffed with a small bit of amusement.

Ventus leaned forward and took Vani’s gloved hand in his own. “Come on. Master Yen Sid will figure out how to help him.” He helped Vani to his feet as Aqua and Riku wheeled Cole’s bed out of the room. Sora started to follow, but hung back, looking back at them from over his shoulder as he hovered by the door. 

Ventus hesitated for a moment, then pulled Vani into a tight hug. Vani froze. He... he didn’t know how to respond. Why the hell was Ventus hugging him? But Ventus stepped back just as quickly, both hands on Vani’s shoulders, holding him at arm’s length. “I’m happy for you.”

Vani blinked, then felt his face get warmer. “...I heard you last time....” He bit the inside of his lip. “Over emotional sap....” Ventus smiled sheepishly. Sora laughed, then covered his mouth. Vani huffed, but followed Ventus as he pulled him to... wherever he was taking him. 

 

The sorcerer, Yen Sid, was intimidating. His eyes were made of stone. Vani couldn’t get any impression of his heart through them. He had no idea what this stone eyes master was thinking. He shifted uncomfortably, having been pushed to stand alone before the sorcerer. Yen Sid stared him down for a long moment, then put his hand on his desk. And finally, he spoke. “Vanitas.... Although you have caused much suffering in the past, and aligned yourself with the forces which seek to destroy this world....” 

Vani tried not to show emotion. But it was a little unnerving to have everyone’s eyes on him. These were the people who could kill him, if they wanted to. There was no way he could take on half a dozen keyblade wielders at once. He /could/ use a corridor to escape, probably, but he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t leave Cole. Especially before they helped him. So Vani bit the inside of his lip, steadying himself, ready for any answer. 

Then, the sorcerer smiled softly. “Although you have been our enemy, Vanitas, I believe you are one no longer.” Vani blinked. That... what? He hadn’t been expecting... that. 

Sora laughed, suddenly clapping Vani on the shoulder. “See? I told you,” he gloated towards someone behind Vani. He grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet. “I told you he was good now.”

Vani side-eyed him, momentarily considering smacking him, but he quickly decided against it. Maybe later.... He turned his eyes back to the sorcerer. “So you’ll help Cole?” That was most important. He wouldn’t let Sora, or anyone else, sidetrack them from that. 

Yen Sid nodded slightly, brushing a hand through his beard. “Of course. Though I’m afraid he is far beyond the help that I can provide.” He turned slightly, looking towards the bed pushed up against the wall. Cole was sleeping soundly, breathing deep enough that Vani could see the rising and falling of his stomach. He was breathing. The unversed, the... fluffy marshmallow that Cole was inevitably going to name something excessively cute, was cuddling against Cole’s cheek, rubbing its head against him and cooing mournfully. Vani wasn’t really sure he wanted to know what emotions made it. 

“What can we do then?” Sora asked, peering around Vani’s head to look at Yen Sid. 

“His heart has fallen into a deep sleep. Perhaps the only way to wake him would be....” His eyes roamed the room, then settled on Riku. 

“The-,” Riku stammered, “The same way I woke Sora...?” The sorcerer nodded solemnly. 

Vani looked over his shoulder, and over Sora’s head, to see Riku. “What did you do?” 

Riku straightened his shoulders. “I dove into his heart, to wake it from its dream.” He looked like he was gathering determination. He looked nervous, but was trying to hide it. 

“But, it’s different this time isn’t it?” That was the redhead in the corner, leaning against the wall. He was dressed in an organization coat and had hair like the reddest fire. Vani figured he must not still /be/ with the organization, since he was here. He must have been one of the deserters, like Vani was. The red head pushed himself off the wall. “I mean, last time you figured that you were the one with the best chance, since you’re the one closest to Sora. So wouldn’t it be dangerous to dive into the heart of a kid you don’t even know?”

Riku hesitated, then looked to Yen Sid, who nodded, stroking his beard. Vani figured he probably did that a lot. “It would indeed be more difficult for a successful rescue. But there is little else we could-“

“Then I’ll do it,” Vani declared. He felt the whole room stare at him. Every eye was looking at him like he’d suddenly grown a tail. Well, that wasn’t too unusual for this group. Vani straightened himself up, puffing his chest out. “I’m the one closest to him, so I stand the best chance. Besides....” He looked around the room. Everyone here would be a guardian... they needed seven. “I’m the only expendable one here.”

Ventus looked like he wanted to argue with him, maybe more about the expendable comment, but he pulled himself back. His head lowered in resignation. “He’s right.... The rest of us are needed as the seven guardians of light....” He sounded almost heartbroken. 

Vani looked back at Riku, looking up at him. “Tell me what to do.” There was a fire in his eyes, and in his heart. He had to save Cole. He had to wake him up. 

Cole had told him, back in the monster world, when he’d collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down his face, _”And honestly... when I go to sleep, I’m scared.... I get scared that I’ll fall back in to that dream that /felt so real/ and... this time I won’t wake up....”_ Vanitas has felt the pain radiating off his heart, felt the fear and panic that was so deeply rooted inside him. And Vanitas had promised that, if he ever fell back into dreams, if he couldn’t wake up on his own, Vanitas had promised to save him. 

_“If you do... I’ll pull you back out. I’ll save you.”_ Vani intended to keep that promise. 

Riku hesitated, then nodded. Vani noticed that he didn’t defer to the sorcerer this time. Good. He pulled Vani aside, giving small pointers that he seemed to be grasping for himself. “And... there should be... a keyhole, and... people that’ll ask you questions.... You have to answer the right thing, but also answer truthfully....” He ran a hand through his hair. 

Vani sighed and waved his hand. “While I appreciate the thought....” He did, partially. “Cole’s heart is going to be far different from Sora’s. Cole doesn’t have hearts sleeping inside him.” Riku blinked, like he hadn’t considered that. He started chewing his lip again. Vani tried not to sound exasperated. “Just tell me what to do.”

Riku took a deep breath, steadying himself. “You’re going to dive into his dream and find his heart there. Then you’ll have to do whatever you have to do to wake him. But....” He hesitated. “If you’re diving into his dream... you may have to become a dream eater.”

Vani felt a laugh creep up in his throat. “People can’t become dream eaters...!” Wait. Vani blinked. Where had that come from? He felt the room watching him again. Oh so this was going to be a common thing then. Fine. 

Riku grinned sheepishly, ruffling his hair. “Well, apparently there are exceptions.... It might not happen to you though...? Since you’re diving into his heart more than his dreams....”

Vani huffed, still not quite believing him. “Whatever. It won’t matter. Either way, I’m still doing it.”

Riku nodded slightly, then told Vani exactly how to dive into Cole’s heart. Then, he leaned in close, whispering so only Vani could hear him. “If it’s a dream, it’s going to lie to you, try to make you think it’s real. You can’t lose sight of what’s most important. What helped me....” He glanced over his shoulder. Vani followed his gaze, seeing Sora at the end of it. “Focus on what’s most important. Protect the one thing that matters.” 

Vani nodded slightly. He could do that. The one thing that mattered? That was simple. That was Cole. Riku smiled, straightening up. “Good luck then.”

Vani smirked. “Who needs luck?” A small grin slid across Riku’s face. Vani summoned Dark Heart, turning towards Cole. 

He heard Ventus gasp as he raised his keyblade. “Since when have you had that keyblade?” He sounded impressed. Good. 

Vani shot a smug look over his shoulder. “We have a lot to catch up on, Ventus.” An instant later, light erupted from Vani’s keyblade, and from Cole’s body. Sparkling ribbons of light and... and darkness danced around them. Then the room lurched under his feet and his vision went white. 

_“Hmm.... Vani... did I ever tell you... you make me less scared... especially to fall asleep....”_

 

Vani felt like he was descending, not quite falling, but he was definitely going down. He was... drifting, moving down through darkness like he was being pulled by a current. He forced his eyes open, more through an insistence of will than a force of power. The space around him, or maybe the emptiness, was darkness. There wasn’t any substance to it, just an absence of anything else. Vani twisted his body, looking for any sign of... something. 

_”Focus on what’s most important.”_

Cole. 

The space around him rippled, stretching and bending like he’d just dropped a boulder into a pond. Then, there! Something appeared below him, a glimmering light. Vani angled his descent towards the light, feeling himself picking up speed. The light got bigger as he approached, spreading out like it was forming right then. 

Vani twisted his body around, figuring that slamming headfirst into the thing wasn’t a very appealing idea. He watched as the light of the thing dimmed, then took on colors and shapes. First an image of a sleeping Cole formed. He was curled up on his side, Dancing Moonlight and Stars Align laid protectively in his hands. Then faces formed in the stained glass of the heart, five faces that Vani distantly recognized from Cole’s photograph, his friends. Then, a sixth face formed in the center circle. Vani felt his heart leap into his throat. It was his... his face, laying next to Cole’s. He was smiling. He smiled. 

A ring of silver blue circled the platform. Then a background filled in the rest of the empty spaces. Vani saw a forest with a large tree half hanging over a cliff. For some reason that image brought a feeling of dread. Vani touched down on the stained glass platform and stayed away from the tree on the cliff. 

He looked around. Riku had said that he’d been challenged by something. But nothing rose to challenge him. Vani walked across the platform, tapping his feet experimentally against the glass. There was nothing here. 

He stopped in front of the stained glass that made up Cole’s face. He looked like he was sleeping. Vani knelt down and brushed his hand over Cole’s cheek. “Cole... show me how to help you....”

A noise came from behind him. Vani whipped his head around and saw a... a figure of a... girl standing a little ways away from him. He could barely make out the figure’s outline. She was completely see-through. He could only see distortions of what was behind her. Vani slowly stood up, ready for a fight. 

“Can you help him?” A voice slithered through the stained glass, it sounded like the glass itself was talking... but just one part of it. Vani traced it and found that it was coming from one of the faces in the glass. The one under the girl’s feet. “Can you help him?”

Vani almost gulped. Despite everything he’d been through, that scared him. But he nodded and steadied himself. “I can. And I will.”

The voice didn’t respond. But suddenly the whole void was filled with the sound of screaming glass. The floor under Vani’s feet opened up and he fell down, suddenly drowning in darkness. 

Then, almost as quickly as it started, it stopped. There was silence and he was standing in an open place. Vani blinked and looked around. There was a room built around him. Multicolored hearts made of light danced over his chest and when he traced the source, he saw a window with colored marker scribbled on the glass. There was the smell of coffee and baking in the air. Scattered around him were two couches, a loveseat, and a double beanbag. There was a coffee table in the middle of all those, scattered with loose papers, books and empty mugs. Then, in one open area of the room, was... a stage? Barely. It was made of a couple pallets and plywood nailed together, but the star covered curtains hanging against the wall looked nice. 

Then Vani realized, this was Cole’s home. He recognized one couch from the photo Cole had shown him. But it was empty now. 

“Well...,” a voice said from behind him. Vani turned around and saw a young woman leaning against an open doorway, sipping from a mug with stars painted on it. She had caramel colored skin and long dark hair that was pinned out of her face with bright pink hairpins. She seemed to be staring right at Vani. “You’re late.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but someone walked past him. Vani jumped slightly, more than a little surprised. He hadn’t heard anyone coming. Then a weight appeared in his chest. Even though he only saw the back of his head, he recognized this new person as Cole. He was shorter though, and dressed in tighter fitting clothes. He had a light colored leather coat, fastened once near the bottom, and close fitting jeans, not exactly tight, but close enough so they wouldn’t get caught on anything. Then he had grey running shoes, tied tightly and triple knotted. 

Vani saw Cole put a hand on his waist, cocking his hips to the side. “I got jumped by a boss heartless! I swear it was invisible until I stepped on it.” His voice was higher too, almost squeaky. 

The woman grinned over her mug, raising both eyebrows. “You sure you didn’t get lost again?”

Cole huffed and crossed his arms. “Yes. Thanks for the vote of confidence Stella.” 

Stella snickered again, offering her mug towards Cole. “Forgive me?” Cole stuck his tongue out and shook his head. Stella rolled her eyes. “I /will/ get you to at least /try/ my coffee.” 

“Not a chance,” Cole snapped. Then he turned around. “Come on. Aren’t the others waiting?”

Stella nodded, upending her mug and downing the rest of her drink. She set the empty mug on the table as she passed it. “Sure are. Because your late.”

“It’s not my fault I swear!” Cole protested, following Stella out of the room. Vani reached out for Cole’s shoulder, trying to grab him, wake him up. 

“He’s not here,” a voice said. Vani turned around, seeing... Stella.... But she looked different. This one was older. There was a scar running across her collarbone, barely peeking out from under the collar of her shirt. “You said you’d save him.”

“I will.” 

“He’s further in, trapped in layers of dreams of memories. You should try to reach him before the fighting starts.” She looked down at the floor. She looked... sad. “And... when you get him back....” Stella looked up into Vani’s eyes. “Tell him I’m sorry.... And tell him we’re still here.”

Before Vani could respond, the scene faded like a washed out watercolor. And he was descending again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have made a blog for this. It’s [ALightNotYourOwn](https://alightnotyourown.tumblr.com/) which is fairly straight forward. I’ll be posting stuff like semi/non canonical comics, drawings, and drabbles and answering any questions you guys have. (So long as they’re not spoilers~ ;})
> 
> Welp! I’m excited. We’re close to the end game now dear readers! I sincerely hope you guys like how I’ll end it. 
> 
> And! I’m definitely making the sequels to this, the UX prequel and the chronological next story. So let me know which one you want me to work on first! Tho I’ll probably ask when we’re closer to the end. :3c 
> 
> And as always~ thank you so much for reading and let me know what you think! <3


	20. Cole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning**  
>  Past/flashbacks of Semi-Major character death  
> Cole’s friends died.   
> Also background characters die.   
> **Also**  
>  Small mentions of abusive family. Nothing explicit but it’s alluded to.

When the world reformed, Vani found himself standing in a forest, surrounded by trees. He looked around, but he didn’t see anything. Then, on the furthest edges of his hearing, he heard something drifting through the trees. Vani turned and followed the sound, weaving between the trees. 

There was a sense of the unknown in the trees, like anything could happen. The feeling vaguely reminded him of something..., somewhere he’d been, maybe while he was asleep...? So somewhere Sora had been then. Probably. But Vani couldn’t put his finger on it. 

There was just enough of a breeze to make the forest feel alive, but at the same time it seemed all too still. It was vaguely the same sense Vani got from the Enchanted Dominion, but this world didn’t seem /wrong/, just... empty. The forest was full of plants and light that streamed through the leaves. But everything seemed fake or... like stand ins for something else. 

As he got closer to the source of the sound, he could hear that it was someone singing. Two someones. There was a slight dissonance between their voices, making a small reverberation that felt like it was colliding inside him. Vani finally stepped through a line of bushes and found the source of the song. 

They were sitting in a clearing, on top of a fallen log. Cole had his eyes closed and was leaning against Stella’s shoulder. She held his hand in her lap, tracing the lines on his palm. She was smiling softly, and Vani was pretty sure he saw tears swimming in her eyes. They had just finished a song and had already dived into another. 

Stella started the song, singing in short, shallow notes. “Please tell me.. you’ll fight this fight, I- can’t see without your light... I need~ you~ to breath into my~ life...~”

Cole lifted his head slightly, eyes fluttering open a little as he joined in. “Don’t tell me~ this is goodbye~ I~ won’t grieve... it’s not yet time... each breath breathed.. is keeping hope alive~” 

Cole sat up straight, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as he lead the next part, his voice carrying through the trees. “So~ keep breathing~ go on... breath in~” 

Stella smiled up at him, singing with him, but softer. “Keep on on breathing~ go on... breath~ in~ just breath.”

Vani stepped forward, reaching out towards Cole. They had to go back. He tried to touch his cheek, but his hand passed right through him. Vani stepped back. Right. He looked around. He had to go ‘further in’ right? Or... was it ‘deeper down’? Vani supposed that was close enough either way. 

“Each breathed means~ we’re alive... and- life means~ that we can~ find a reason~ to keep on getting by~.... and if reasons we can’t find... we’ll~ make up some to get by~ till breath by breath~ we’ll leave this behind~”

As they went back into the chorus, Vani blinked, taken a little off guard. That sounded... what was that...? There was some kind of raw emotion radiating off of Cole, almost like... light drenched in darkness. No... that was wrong. Darkness covering light. No... not that either. It was... both. Light and darkness were radiating out from his heart together, mixing together into something that wasn’t light or darkness. They canceled each other out, never quite tipping one way or the other. 

“All you have to do.. is breath...” Cole and Stella separated here. Stella started repeating that last line while Cole dove into the chorus again. 

Vani stepped towards him again. Cole looked different. He looked like, the weight had slipped off his shoulders. “Just breath.” His eyes fluttered open and Vani saw Cole’s brilliant blue eyes shining as he stared through him. Vani noticed that his eyes were ringed in red. He’d been crying....

“Feel better?” Stella asked softly, laying her hand on his shoulder. 

Cole took a deep breath. “Yeah. Yeah I do.” He turned to look at Stella and a smile spread across his face. “Thanks Stel.” 

She grinned and rocked to her feet. “Of course! Anytime you need, Charcoal.” She held out her hand for Cole. He took it. As she pulled him to his feet, the world around Vani dissolved and he felt himself moving again. 

He wasn’t sure if he was moving down or forward, but he could tell that he was moving. ‘Further in’... ‘deeper down’.... Vani willed himself to go faster. 

 

Vani landed in the ballroom of the Enchanted Castle in the midst of a battle. He looked up at a darkside, oddly colored with a dark red, towering over three keyblade wielders. The first was Cole, of course. He held Moonlight in front of him, standing in the most generic fighting stance Vani had seen. He held his keyblade up in front of him to cover the body with arms fully extended to hang by the knees, and of course, legs apart and bent. 

Vani resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Apparently this was early in Cole’s keyblade training, before he developed his style. 

The next person was a dark skinned girl, about half a head taller than Cole, dressed in a frilly blouse and skirt that really did not look combat ready. Vanitas vaguely recognized her as ‘Grace,’ another one of Cole’s friends. She was wielding a keyblade made out of plastic looking hearts. It looked like a Wonderland reject to be honest. Vani blinked. Again with thinking about Wonderland…! He’d never been to Wonderland! At least....

“Watch your faces!” A shrill cry came from the last wielder. He was shorter than Cole, though not by much. His keyblade looked more like a broad sword than a key, and instead of teeth, it had notches etched into it. He swung it around like it weighed nothing, even though it was nearly as tall as he was. ‘Edward’ Vani recalled. 

Edward grinned as he hefted his keyblade. “Here goes...!” His keyblade glowed with energy and he leapt forward, dealing a dozen strikes to the darkside in an instant. The heartless staggered but remained on its feet. 

Vani felt the urge to jump in and help. But he couldn’t touch them... so what could he do?

Apparently he didn’t need to worry, because a moment later Cole shouted. “I got it!” He leapt forward and swung his keyblade at the air in front of the heartless. Vani didn’t think that’d do any good. He’d completely missed! But white energy sliced through the air and cut into the heartless, then dark energy followed suit. Vani watched with wide eyes as Cole layered light and dark attacks on top of each other in a quick combo. 

Cole landed back on his feet as the heartless fell back and started fading into nothing. Cole did a quick bounce on his heels, grinning madly. “I like that medal....” He smiled to himself. The three of them raised their keyblades in a motion was half way between a ‘hurray’ and a salute. 

Edward trotted over to Cole and clapped his hand on his back. “Nice one newbie! Man, I’ve been trying to get that one for so long! I’m jealous.”

Cole smiled sheepishly, shifting his keyblade in his grip. “I just got lucky and drew it....”

Edward rolled his eyes. “Yeah I /know/ that. I’m jealous of your /luck/.” 

Grace made her way over to them, dispelling her keyblade. “Nice shots you two.”

“Only thanks to you dropping its defense,” Edward shot back. 

Grace huffed and brushed off the compliment. “Come on. Let’s head back. Apollo said he was gonna make us real curry tonight! The good kind.”

Edward’s eyes widened. “He said what?” He gasped and grabbed Cole’s collar, dragging him backwards. “Come on! Come on! Come on!”

“Woah- hey! St- Eddie! I’m gonna trip!” Cole flailed his arms, barely having a moment before he was yanked off his feet. Cole fell, only held up by Edward hanging onto his collar. Edward didn’t stop, dragging Cole across the floor. Cole sighed, looking like a disgruntled wet cat. Grace followed after them, trying and failing to hold in her giggling. 

As they left, the world faded around him. Vani looked around. The scene hadn’t disappeared, just faded into a kind of washed out version of itself. Vani turned around, looking for a way out. But then he froze. Someone was standing behind him. Vani blinked and recognized who it was. 

Edward stood there, just as faded as the background. He was swaying slightly, looking down at the ground. “I’m sorry...,” he said. His voice echoed from all around Vani, but sounded far away, like he was talking on the other end of a tunnel. “I’m sorry.... I’m sorry....”

Vani hesitated. He should have moved on by now. So why was he still here. Better question: why was Edward here? And... Vani figured he had to do something to move on. “Why are you sorry?”

Edward slowly raised his head, staring blankly at Vani. “Because it’s my fault.... It’s my fault we died. And now... Cole’s all alone. Because it’s my fault.... I killed them.” He let out a choked sob and covered his face with his hands. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” 

Vani took a step forward, feeling the sudden urge to help him. Cole must be rubbing off on him. “It... It’s not... your fault....” He felt like he was lying. He had no idea if that was actually true. He didn’t know how they all... died. Cole didn’t tell him. Not that Vani could blame him. 

Edward raised his head slightly. “It is.... I ran into the fighting. They followed me....” He choked back a sob. “I led my friends to their deaths!” 

Vani winced from the shrill sound of his cry. “You....” What was he supposed to say? What could he say?

“It’s all my fault.... I failed....” Edward’s form started dissolving, fading into nothing. 

“It’s not!” Vani snapped. “It’s not your fault! You can’t control the bad things that happened to you.” He swallowed. His throat felt dry. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened to you.”

Edward looked up, eyes slowly flickering back to life. “You know....” He smiled and shook his head. “You’re right. Maybe I should have made a different decision. And maybe it’s still partly my fault. But....” Edward sighed softly as the last of his form faded away. “Maybe I’m not the only one who needs to hear that....” The rest of the scene faded with him, leaving only a dark void. 

Vani narrowed his eyes. What did that mean? He rolled the thought over in his head as he was pulled deeper down. Why did Edward show up? What did that accomplish?

_“Tell him I’m sorry.... And tell him we’re still here.”_

Vani’s eyebrows furrowed as he thought about what Stella had said to him. Were all five of them still here, sleeping in Cole’s heart? He wasn’t sure. 

 

The next scene formed around him. He was back in that room, the one with the makeshift stage and the couches and chairs scattered around the cluttered coffee table. Cole was laying on one couch with at least five blankets laying on top of him. The redheaded girl, Haley, was sitting next to him, patting his head gently. 

“Told you that wasn’t gonna hold you,” Haley sighed. 

Cole sniffed, sinking deeper into the blankets. “It held just fine... I just tripped.” He looked miserable. His face was pale and his eyes were bloodshot with dark bags under them. 

Haley sighed and shook her head. “Honestly Cole. You should be more careful. You could have gotten hurt.” Cole muttered something that Vani couldn’t hear. “I heard that,” Haley snapped. “And don’t think I won’t pull a Stella and smack you with a broom until you stop being stupid.”

Cole looked up at her, and stuck his tongue out at her. Then he ducked his head under the blankets. Haley gasped. “Hey!” She lunged forward and started grabbing at the blankets, eliciting a squeal of laughter. “You must be feeling better if you’re so feisty!” The blankets jerked and squirmed. Cole was kicking his legs and Vani heard laughter coming from both of them. 

“Bold choice for someone so ticklish,” a new voice said. Vani looked over his shoulder and saw Grace coming out of the kitchen, holding a bed tray with a bowl of soup and a glass of something. Haley stopped tickling Cole, letting him catch his breath and sit up. 

Grace set the tray down on Cole’s lap. “Now get rid of that cold, Charcoal! There’s a new raid event coming up soon. And I heard they’re offering those snuggly plushies!” She giggled and cupped her face in her hands, swaying back and forth. “I want one!”

Haley laughed softly, tugging Grace down by her arm. “I’ll get one for you.” She gave her a soft kiss on the lips and threaded her fingers through Grace’s dreadlocks. 

Vani felt a sting in his heart. He’d wanted to... he’d wanted to kiss Cole back in the Enchanted Dominion, do something sweet and make him happy. But he’d lost his chance. It wasn’t fair. 

He vaguely remembered Cole mentioning that Grace and Haley had been dating before he’d met them. How long had they waited until they kissed? Had he waited long enough? He was impatient, but he didn’t want to be too rushed. Dating took time right? Right. 

Cole huffed and rolled his eyes, but smiled. He raised a spoon full of soup to his lips and blew on it. Vani stepped around the coffee table and stood next to Cole. There had to be something he could do. This was taking too long. He couldn’t just wait for each level to play out and let him move on. He put his hand on Cole’s shoulder. “Cole.”

Cole didn’t notice him. He stuck the spoon in his mouth and gave a satisfied sigh. “This is great Grace!”

Grace grinned. “Thanks! I stole the recipe from Apollo’s book.”

“Ah. That explains it.” 

Grace scoffed and swatted at Cole’s head. “Hey! I’m a good cook!”

“Only when you have a recipe dear,” Haley sighed. She patted Grace’s cheek affectionately. Grace looked offended. 

Vani tilted his head when Haley rubbed her nose against Grace’s cheek. He made a mental note to try that later. 

Cole looked back at them, then looked away, frowning slightly. Vani raised an eyebrow. Cole stirred his spoon in his soup, eyebrows furrowing thoughtfully. 

“Something wrong?” Haley said, tilting her head. “Feeling sick?” She stepped away from Grace, then knelt down next to Cole, almost passing through Vani. He stepped back. 

Cole shook his head. “Nah. I’m okay.” He shoved a spoonful of soup into his mouth. 

Haley tilted her head. “Come on, Charcoal. I know something’s wrong. You always do that.”

“Do what?”

“Pull away, like you don’t want to be anywhere anymore.” Haley put a hand on Cole’s forehead. “Your fever’s fine.” 

Grace leaned over the back of the couch, tilting her head as she examined Cole’s face. “Something with your heart... isn’t it?”

Cole scowled. “Sometimes I hate how perceptive you are....”

Grace smiled, patting Cole’s head. “Don’t worry Charcoal. I’m sure you’ll find someone you like if you keep looking.”

Cole groaned and pulled a pillow over his face. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“You worry too much.” Haley rolled her eyes and snatched the pillow away from his face. Cole protested, but Haley tossed it away. 

As the pillow flew across the room towards him, Vani saw the scene fading into those washed out colors from before. He caught the pillow against his chest, looking down at it. He felt stupid, like he was wasting time. Cole was down there somewhere and he was here sifting through his memories like some kind of creep. 

A soft sound came from behind him. Vani turned around and saw a washed out version of Grace standing there with her arms around herself. “I’m alone.... I’m all alone.”

Vani felt his fingers digging into the pillow. “No you’re not. What about them?” He gestured to the washed out forms behind him. 

“Did they ever really care? Or were they just pretending? Did they feel trapped? Did they feel obligated to stay with me?”

Vanitas narrowed his eyes. “That’s stupid. If they didn’t like you why would they stay? They could have just left you but they didn’t. That means something doesn’t it?”

Grace raised her head, tilting it slightly as she looked at Vani. “Doesn’t it?” 

Vani blinked. “Yeah...?”

“They why do you stay?”

Vani blinked. “What?”

Grace’s hands fell to her sides. “Why do you stay... with Cole?”

A sudden thought ran through Vani’s mind. Riku has said he’d be “challenged” by guardians of Cole’s heart. Was that what these were? Challenges? He had to answer correctly then. Or else... he wouldn’t be able to reach Cole. Riku hadn’t told him what would happen if he was rejected by the guardians; he didn’t want to think about it. But he had to answer honestly. That’s what Riku had said. 

“I stay with Cole... because I care about him.”

Grace didn’t move for a long moment. “How?”

“How?” Vani blinked. How what?

“What makes you care about him?”

Vani balked. What kind of a question was that?! He furrowed his eyebrows and tried to think of an answer. What if there wasn’t one? “Do I... need a reason...? I don’t think I have one. I care about Cole just because I do.” He really hoped that was the right answer. 

Grace smiled softly. “That is the reason. Sometimes you care, you love, just because you do. Sometimes that’s all the reason you need.” She started fading, taking the background with her. “Make sure he knows that.”

Vani blinked. “Wh-? Wait! What does that mean?” He tried to catch her, but the world dissolved before he could even take a step. 

 

Vani started sulking as he drifted down through the void, waiting for the next memory to form. This was confusing. And that was irritating. He didn’t know what all this meant. Riku had made it seem like all of Sora’s ‘guardians’ were one right after the other. And these... tests were a lot harder than Riku made them seem. He’d said all he’d had to do was answer a couple questions honestly. Vani had to console these... remnants of Cole’s long dead friends. It just wasn’t fair. 

A thought crossed his mind. Were these remnants trying to tell him something? Grace said to make sure he, presumably Cole, knew that... that bit about love. Did... he not know that? Did he think there was some... other reason Vani was staying with him? Well he’d just have to set that straight wouldn’t he? And… what Edward had said about it being ‘his fault’.... He did seem to change attitudes fairly quickly. Was it just an act, part of the test?

The ground formed under his feet and he gently set down on the ground. He looked up, seeing a forest spring up around him. It was a different forest than the one from before. This one looked like... the Dwarf Woodlands. Vani felt a twinge of something in his chest. The last time he’d been here... well, he’d met Cole. 

A soft sound flitted past his ear, just barely loud enough to hear. It wasn’t singing this time. Vani turned his head and started walking in the direction it was coming from. He ducked under branches and around brush, feeling something painful swelling in his chest. Something hurt. His heart...? He started walking faster. 

When he got close enough, standing outside the cave, that cave, the one he’d hid in when Cole had found him, Vani finally figured out what that sound was. It was crying. His heart ached as he moved into the cave. 

Inside, Cole was sitting with his back up against the wall. He was curled up into a tight ball, his head was between his knees and his arms wrapped around himself. Haley was sitting next to him, rubbing gentle circles across his back. She was whispering to him, murmuring soft words to him. 

Vani stepped forward, stopping when he was standing in front of Cole. He knelt down, placing his hand on Cole’s knee, even though he knew Cole couldn’t see him. This hurt. It really hurt. He’d seen Cole cry before, but this... this was different. This time there was nothing he could do but watch. 

Haley leaned forward, tilting her head to look at Cole’s face. “Hey now.... It’s gonna be okay. Just try to breath.”

Cole took a shuddering breath, hiccuping and shuddering like a leaf. Haley wrapped her arms around him, pressing his head against her shoulder. “Shhh- shhh- shhh- It’s okay sweetie.” She petted Cole’s hair gently, brushing her fingers through it. 

Very, very slowly, Cole stilled, his breathing evened out, but it was still ragged. He looked more relaxed, though there were tears still falling from his eyes. He slumped against Haley, letting her rock them back and forth. “Do you wanna tell me what’s wrong...?” She asked in a soft voice. “You don’t have to, but it might help you to talk about it....” Cole shook his head, pressing his face deeper against her shoulder. 

Vani bit his lip, thinking about something, anything he could do to help. He decided to just move and sit next to Cole, on the open side. There wasn’t much else he could do. He leaned against Cole’s shoulder, feeling the warmth radiating off him. That made him feel a little better. 

Cole shifted against him and sighed softly. Could he feel his presence...? Vani’s eyes widened. Of course! This was the dream of a memory. It wasn’t set in stone. He filed that away for later. 

Cole’s breathing evened out after a while. He raised his head a little bit, staring at the cave wall across from him. “I had....” His voice cracked. He took a soft breath. “I had a nightmare....” 

Haley hummed softly and tilted her head. “I really hate those. So rude, all up and interrupting a perfectly nice sleep.”

Cole gave a small, breathy laugh. “Yeah.... So rude.” He smiled a little and leaned back against the wall of the cave. Haley sat back, looking at a dripping stalactite. 

“You wanna tell me what was so rude and rattled you so bad?” Haley looked back at Cole from the corner of her eye. 

Cole looked back at a spot on the wall. “Not really....”

“Alright.” Haley shrugged and leaned back, crossing her legs. She set one hand on her knee, face up. Vani raised his eyebrows. So that’s where Cole picked that up from. 

After a moment Cole set his hand in hers. She squeezed it reassuringly. “Do you wanna talk about something else?”

Cole chewed his bottom lip. “No....”

“Alright.” Haley closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

It was quiet for a long moment. Then Cole closed his eyes. “Can I tell you a secret?”

Haley opened her eyes, looking back at Cole. “Of course.”

Cole took a deep breath. “I dreamed about my mom....” Vani tilted his head. Cole hadn’t told him about having a family. He supposed he must have. “I... I told her that I....” Cole swallowed thickly, looking like he was trying to swallow maple syrup. “I told her that I didn’t... like being called a girl... and that I didn’t like... /being/ a girl.” He stared down at a spot on the ground between his legs. “I- I’m a freak....”

Haley shook her head. “No. You’re not.” She squeezed his hand. “Well, guess it’s my turn to tell you my secret.” Haley laughed softly. “Guess that’s why Stel told me to come talk to you.” She raised her head, a sweet smile on her face. “I’m trans too.”

Cole blinked and looked back at her. “I... I don’t know what that word means....”

Haley leaned against his shoulder. “It means my gender didn’t match my body.” She tilted her head. “I was born as a boy. And man I tried everything to be one. I played contact sports in high school, until my world fell at least.” She smiled softly, a distant look in her eyes as she remembered. “I remember waking up in the center of town, disoriented and scared, and feeling different, like I’d never felt before.”

She looked back at Cole. “Sound familiar?”

Cole nodded, eyes wide as a new wave of tears rose to spill from his eyes. “Yeah.” His voice cracked. 

Vani reached up and wiped the tears from Cole’s cheek. He felt his lips trembling. “You’re Cole. Not anything anyone has called you.”

“You’re right,” Haley’s voice said, echoing from behind him. Vani looked behind him and saw Haley’s spectral form standing there, a soft smile on her face. “Sometimes... he forgets that he’s not all those things. They still affect him, damage his self esteem and make him worry... far more than he deserves to honestly.” Haley tilted her head, a grin springing to her face. “Poor boy doesn’t trust easily, does he? Though... something tells me you’re the same.”

Vani rose to his feet. He wouldn’t let this one disappear on him too. “I’m looking for Cole. I need to wake him up. Do you know where he is?”

Haley pursed her lips. “Deeper down. He just keeps sinking further in, faster and faster. You won’t reach him before the fighting starts.” 

Vani felt his heart seize. “What fighting? What’s going to happen?”

Haley shook her head. “You’ll just have to see for yourself.” Then she smiled. “Well, you have my approval. Take care of Cole for us. Okay?”

Vani barely had time to nod in confirmation before the floor faded from underneath his feet and he feel back into the void. This time, he had something to think about. These remnants... they were his trials. He’d been right about that. But then... why show him these memories? Why was this the trial they chose? Vani chewed his lip in thought as he drifted downwards into the darkness. 

 

A long time later, Vani finally touched down in the room with the stage and couches again. He felt tired all of a sudden, like the trip down had taken all his energy. He staggered over to flop down on the couch, breathing hard. Vani looked up and examined the room. It was empty. Eyebrows furrowing, he sat up and looked around. There wasn’t anybody here. 

Vani pushed himself to his feet, head swinging around wildly. What happened?! How was he supposed to continue if nothing happened? Panic started rising in his throat. Vani bit his lip, fingernails digging into the fabric of the couch. 

Then he smelled something. It smelled like... chocolate and cooked pasta... at the same time. Ew. Vani followed the smell into the kitchen area, just beyond an open doorway. He sighed when he saw Cole and the dark haired boy that looked like he hadn’t slept in a month. ‘Apollo...,’ his memory supplied him. He hadn’t seen him yet. Apollo was stirring a pot full of liquid chocolate, standing with one hand in his pocket. He was wearing an apron over his turtleneck and it made him look a little silly. Vani noticed that there was a blond spot in his hair. He died his hair black! Vani found that kind of amusing. 

Cole was sitting on the counter next to him, swinging his legs a little. “I donno,” he sighed. “Maybe I’m just overthinking it.”

Apollo huffed. “I’m the last person who will tell you to stop overthinking things.” He tilted his head to look up at Cole. “But you do worry... a lot.”

Cole huffed, slumping back against the wall. “Yeah yeah. I know.”

Apollo turned back to his stirring. “Well, on a different note.... I did not appreciate that stunt you two pulled.” He glowered up at Cole. 

Cole giggled a little, sitting up. “In my defense, it was very funny. And Eddie’s idea.”

“You /ruined/ a perfectly good bottle of soda!”

Cole started snickering. “Come on. We gave you another one.”

“It exploded. In my face.” Apollo’s eyebrows went up, but otherwise his face was deadpanned. “I had to shower twice to get all the sugar off. And I don’t even like soda!”

Cole snorted into his hand. “Sorry Apollo.”

“Charcoal Brain....” Apollo muttered bitterly. “Both of you.”

“Hopefully it’ll be chocolate brain soon!” Cole chirped, leaning closer to Apollo. “Please~” He gave a big cheesy grin. 

Apollo side-eyed him, then sighed and handed him the spatula he was stirring with, grabbing a new one. Cole made a happy squeaking noise and started licking the spatula. “I’m too nice to you.” Apollo shook his head, sighing in defeat. 

Cole grinned, chocolate smeared on his lips. “And we love you for it. It’s one of your best qualities.”

“Only one?” Apollo smirked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Of course.” Cole waved the spatula in the air. “But I won’t tell you what the others are. It’s a secret.” He grinned and winked. 

Apollo rolled his eyes. “Uh huh. I’m sure.” He smiled though, stirring the chocolate. After a moment of silence the smile quietly faded. “Do you think he’ll really like it...?” He sounded worried. 

Cole grinned down at him. “Of course! Eddie loves chocolate.” He gave a sly smile when Apollo looked away. Vani tilted his head. Oh so he was planning something. 

Suddenly the vision seemed to move in fast forward. The edges faded and blurred together as Apollo and Cole moved around the kitchen in quick flashes, first on one side, then the other. Vani almost felt motion sick. But then it stopped, as quickly as it started. 

Cole sat on a barstool, leaning against the counter. Apollo sat next to him, holding a heart shaped box in his lap. He looked like he was about to pass out. He swallowed thickly and glanced between Cole and the door. “I don’t think this is a good idea. This is not a good idea. I should-“

Cole put his hands on Apollo’s cheeks, turning his head so they were staring into each other’s eyes. “Apollo. Don’t overthink this. It’ll be fine. I promise.” 

Apollo nodded, taking a deep breath. “Right. Okay. I can do this....”

“Uh... am I interrupting something?” A familiar voice laughed awkwardly. Vani jumped with the others, whirling around in surprise. 

Edward... ‘Eddie’ stood in the doorway, one eyebrow raised into his hairline. One hand wasplanted firmly on his hip, and there was a smirk on his face. Cole huffed and smirked. “Nope!” He gently shoved Apollo to his feet. 

Apollo stumbled forward, then looked down at Eddie. “I uh... needed some help....” He held out the heart shaped box. “Happy anniversary.” 

Eddie’s eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. Then he cracked a smile, gingerly taking the box in one hand. “Yeah...,” he breathed. “Yeah...!” He brought his other hand out from behind his back, holding two blue roses in a card. “Happy anniversary Sunshine.” He stood on his tip toes and kissed Apollo on the cheek. Apollo turned a bright shade of scarlet and started mumbling something in a language Vani couldn’t understand. 

Vani tilted his head, glancing behind him at Cole. Cole was smiling softly, but the light coming from his heart was almost sorrowful. Vani stepped towards him, reaching out to lay his hand over Cole’s. “Almost there. I’ll wake you up soon.”

“I couldn’t save him,” Apollo’s voice said. Vani turned around and saw his remnant standing there. He had tear tracks running down his face, but they looked long dried. “I couldn’t save the person I cared about most. But maybe it’s not too late for you.” A smile pushed onto his face. “Just... promise to protect him. Okay?”

Vani nodded slightly. “Yeah. I will.” Apollo smiled as he faded away with the background. 

Vani felt himself drifting downwards, waves of emotion rolling over him. These were people. They lived with Cole, laughed with him, cried with him, grew with him. And now they were gone. He couldn’t help the feeling of pain and sorrow that rose in his throat. He didn’t know how much it must have hurt Cole to lose them all. Vani took a deep breath, pushing his emotions down. Then his feet hit the ground and the fighting started.

 

A flood of memories washed over him as a barren wasteland grew around him. This place reminded him of... Xehanort... the training, the pain, the isolation and helplessness. Vani felt like he couldn’t breath, his chest hurt. People, hundreds upon hundreds of keyblade wielders, were scrambling past him, shrieking and crying. Vani felt like the world was closing in even as it grew further and further out. He couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t think. His mind shut down. His instincts and training took over. 

Something exploded next to him, setting him off into a run on instinct. This was too much. He couldn’t process it. A flash of blond hair streaked past him, a streak of red went the other way a moment later. The air was so full of screaming and yelling and the sounds of spells Vani felt like he was running through liquid. A keyblade flew past his face and impaled someone next to him. The keyblade wielder, someone with a brown ponytail and a stuffed animal stuck to their arm disappeared with a cry of surprise and pain. They vanished, all except a small heart, which floated upwards into the sky. There was a light overhead, bright and cool, but Vani couldn’t make himself look up at it. 

Vani forced himself to breath. He couldn’t think straight. Why were all these people here? Where was Cole? Who-?

Something exploded behind him, throwing him off balance, knocking him to the ground. He hit the dirt, but was up on his feet a moment later. Find- he had to find- find who? Who’s here? Why am I here? What-? 

Something yanked at his attention, swerving him to one side. He felt his boots pounding against the packed ground, trampled under hundreds of feet and spells. Something exploded off to one side, but he kept running straight. Find. Find- He had to find- 

“Cole!”

Stella?

Vani snapped out of his panic, skidding to a stop. His back hurt for some reason, burning in some kind of pattern he couldn’t make out. Right. Right! He was in Cole’s dream. This was a dream of a memory. He wasn’t actually here, where ever here was. Vani snapped his head to the source of Stella’s voice. He still couldn’t quite think straight, but at least now he had something to focus on. 

Cole was on the ground, looking like he’d fallen suddenly. His eyes were wide and wild and there was soot caked in his hair and on one side of his face. Dancing Moonlight was held tightly in his right hand, clenched so hard his knuckles were white. 

Stella knelt in front of him, facing away from him with Stars Align held in front of her. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, kept out of her way. She held Stars in her left hand in a reverse grip, just like Cole. Vani felt a lump in his throat. This wasn’t going to end well. 

A spell hit a barrier around Stars and deflected around them, carving deep grooves into the ground. Stella scrambled to her feet, yanking Cole to his as she took off, practically dragging Cole behind her. Vani ran after them, just a few steps behind. 

They broke through the edge of the fighting, but Stella kept going until they were a good distance away. She half tossed Cole towards a large rock, which he collapsed against, gasping for breath. Stella bent over, hands on her knees as she heaved. Vani trotted to a stop, wondering if he wasn’t out of breath because he was a better runner or if he wasn’t actually a part of the dream. Oh. Right. Dream Eater. Maybe that was it. 

Slowly, Stella straightened up and limped over to Cole, Stars hanging limply in her hand. “Have you seen the others?” Cole asked. “I... I lost track of them.”

Stella shook her head. “No. No I don’t... I don’t know.” She sounded heartbroken. A cold feeling settled over Vani’s skin. They were already dead... weren’t they? Did she know?

Cole pressed his back against the rock, leaning against it like it was the only thing keeping him upright. “We- we gotta go back for them. Grace isn’t- Eddie can’t... We gotta go back for them.” 

Stella nodded, straightening up and holding her chin up high. “I’ll go look.”

A look of shock passed over Cole’s face. He knew what she meant, didn’t he? Vani wanted to step in, say something. But the past was the past. There was nothing he could do to change what had already happened. “I’m coming too,” Cole said. There wasn’t any room for question in his voice. 

Stella didn’t question. She slammed Stars Align into the rock beside Cole’s hip, angling it so the handle was pressing against his shoulder. She leveraged it so Cole was pinned against the rock. Cole opened his mouth to protest, but Stella shoved her face close to his. “I can’t lose you too.” She was crying. She spun around, ripping Dancing Moonlight out of Cole’s hand. 

“No!” Cole reached for her, but she was already out of reach, running back towards the fighting. 

Suddenly a bright purple tornado of fire flared up on one side of the fighting. Stella paused in stride. Vani heard her breath, “Apollo....” She took off towards the fire. 

“Stella!” Cole shrieked, clawing at Stars, even as it held him in place. Vani felt his heart ache as Cole screamed in desperation and agony. Tears were running down his face as he bent over Stars as much as he could. He pushed against it uselessly, trying his best to dislodge it from the rock. It hurt to watch. He was so desperate, but there was nothing he could do. 

Vani bit his lip so hard he tasted blood. He moved over to stand next to Cole, putting a hand on the one clawing at Stars’s handle. “There’s nothing you could have done.... It’s... it’s not your fault.” 

Cole looked up and for a moment Vani thought he was looking at him, eyes shining with a flicker of recognition. Then Cole gasped, a look of horror crawling onto his face. Vani spun around and saw five streaks of fiery light in the sky. They spiraled closer and closer, until they finally collided. The resulting explosion was blinding, everything shot outwards, burning air and rubble. Vani turned away and reflexively shielded Cole. 

The force of the blast collided with them, shattering the rock. Vani blacked out. When he could see again, he pushed himself to his feet, looking around for Cole. 

The landscape was ruined, flattened in one direction and a mountain had been eroded into sheer cliff face in the other. The flattened stretch was filled with lifeless keyblades. When did they get to the keyblade graveyard...? Vani’s head was pounding. It hurt to think. 

He finally found Cole. He was laying on his side, clutching Stars like a lifeline. A shimmering bright red barrier flickered around him, then faded when he groaned and moved to sit up. 

Cole looked at the sea of lifeless keyblades before him, then scrambled to his feet. “Stella!” 

The dream flickered again. So he hadn’t passed out then. Vani blinked and found them within the sea of keyblades. Cole stood before his keyblade. Dancing Moonlight stood straight up in the dirt. With a choked off sob, Cole yanked Moonlight out of the ground and stepped back. He was still holding Stars tightly, in a reverse grip, with his left hand.

The dream flickered again. Cole staggered through the sea of keyblades. “Hello...! Is anyone there?” He was swaying from side to side. Vani noticed a long blood stain soaking through his shirt and pants. It started by his hip, the one that Stars had pinned. It must have cut him when the rock shattered. He was woozy, he’d lost too much blood. Vani darted forward to try to catch him, but something appeared in his vision. 

It was a dark and blurry shape, vaguely in the shape of a person. It /was/ a person. They had a keyblade in their hand. Before Vani could blink, they stabbed Cole in the back with their keyblade. So that’s why Vani couldn’t see them. Cole never saw them so he couldn’t possibly remember what they looked like, other than large and dark. 

“Well well, what have we here...?” The shape muttered. He sounded so familiar. Vani was sure he knew that voice but... his head hurt... so so much. 

Cole started to go limp, Stars and Moonlight slipping in his hands. “Better hold onto that,” the stranger told him. “If you don’t she’ll be gone forever.” Cole’s fingers tightened around his keyblades. Vani felt rage building up inside him. This bastard was looking into Cole’s heart, reading him like he was a magazine! 

The stranger yanked his keyblade out of Cole’s back. “Well, that’s interesting.” Vani practically felt him grinning wickedly. Cole toppled forward, collapsing on the dirt. “They’ll be around to collect the survivors soon.” The stranger reached down and patted Cole’s head. “Try not to bleed out until then.” He straightened up and stepped back. “Who knows, maybe you’ll play a part in the Master’s plan. If not... heh.” He chuckled, sending chills up Vani’s spine. “Well maybe you’ll make this slightly more interesting for me.” The stranger disappeared into the edge of the dream. 

Vani knelt down next to Cole, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Cole... Cole...!” The dream was fading, all the color washing out of it. 

Vani saw a grey shape running over to Cole, a small shape with hair standing up on one side. The figure kneeled next to Cole. Vani couldn’t hear their voice, but he heard their words. “Hey...! Hey, it’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

The glowing outline of a flower pattern opened up underneath Cole, lifting him off the ground. Vani grabbed Cole’s hand. Nononono! A woman’s voice echoed around them as a lotus shaped pod started closing around Cole. “Sink into sleep.... Into a world without tragedy. My-“ 

“No!” Vani grabbed Cole’s arms and yanked him out of the reach of the pod, falling backwards onto the ground. Cole landed on top of him, limp and unconscious. 

“Cole...,” Vani gasped, tears slipping out of the corner of his eyes. “Cole please. I can’t....” Something inside him knew that something bad would happen if they kept going. “Please wake up.” He held Cole’s head against his chest, breathing hard. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you before. I wish I... I don’t want to lose you. I won’t lose you again. I care about you, I really do. You’re my light.”

“And what are you to him?” Stella’s voice asked. Right. The final challenge. At least he hoped so. 

Vani sat up, cradling Cole against his chest. Stella was standing there, at least her remnant was. “What do you mean?”

“If he means so much to you, and you mean so much to him, if he’s your light, then what are you to him? A heart needs more than just light.”

If this was a riddle.... Vani’s eyes widened a little. Cole had said something before....

_“Because people don’t work in absolutes. Every heart has light and darkness in it, at least at some point. And darkness isn’t evil, anymore than the night is.”_

Light and darkness.... There had to be both. So if Cole was light. Vani was darkness. He’d known that. But this.... He remembered something he’d heard during those years asleep in Sora’s heart. 

“If the world is made of light and darkness, I’ll be the darkness, so he doesn’t have to be.” Vanitas raised his head to look up at Stella. “He’s my light. I’m his darkness.”

A smile spread across Stella’s face. “Remember to tell him when you both wake up.”

The dream around Vanitas faded into nothing, everything disappeared into the dark void, except Cole, still clutched tightly against his chest. Vanitas felt something on his back. He looked behind him and saw a pair of dark purple leather wings spread out behind him. Dream eater. Right. Vanitas grinned and flapped his new wings, flying them upwards through the dark void, back to the waking world. When they got there… he had some things to say to Cole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used: “Breath” by Superchick
> 
> Tada!! New chapter!  
> Sorry it took so long!! ;<;  
> Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon but next week is finals week so I donno what’ll happen.
> 
> A very sweet reader left some comments on the last chapter with some questions I was happy to answer. And I answered them  Here 
> 
> I’m always happy to answer questions and respond to comments! They let me gauge how well my subtlies are coming across (which is of course importiant). There are also some no one’s mentioned so~   
> :}c Hue hue hue  
> (Maybe I’m being too subtle... >,>)


	21. Mysterious Tower part 2

Cole felt himself slipping past his memories. Was this what people meant by ‘your life flashing before your eyes’? He’d completely skipped over his childhood, which he was grateful for. The scenes about his time in Daybreak Town slowed down, but the memories of time with his friends flickered by like he was avoiding them. It felt like someone else was driving him, looking for something in his memories. The brief interactions with the foretellers slowed to almost real time. Then suddenly the driver disappeared. 

Cole was free falling now. He remembered the fight at the fountain that someone braver than him broke up. He remembered someone shouting about someone stealing lux, was that even possible? There were more fights after that. Each one made him feel like he was falling apart. This was wrong. They shouldn’t be fighting. 

“Let others fight,” Stella had said, “They’ll come to their senses eventually.”

He remembered chasing Greg out of their group, after he’d shown his true colors. Those words and ideas weren’t welcome. Greg had swore his revenge, ‘You’ll regret this! You’ll be sorry!’ right before Cole slammed the door in his face. Then, months later they heard about his new party falling to the darkness. Cole couldn’t help but feel guilty. Couldn’t they have changed his mind? Made him see that he was wrong? Haley said it wasn’t worth feeling guilty about. But Cole had never really shaken the feeling. 

Another painful memory followed. Then another. Then another. Not everything was happy memories. Some used-to-be-happy memories even took on a painful feeling now. 

 

_“So when are you two getting married?” Eddie asked one day, strewn across the back of the couch like an oversized cat._

_Grace started giggling insistently. Haley hummed softly, not looking up from the strands of Grace’s hair that she was braiding together. “When we turn twenty-two. We’ll get married on February second at two.”_

_“That’s a lot of twos.” Apollo noted. “Any particular reason?”_

_“It- it means...,” Grace piped up, “It means that we’ll always be us two.” She blushed and started giggling again, covering her face._

_“Y’all better invite me,” Cole grinned, pointing an accusatory finger at them._

_Haley laughed. “Of course. Someone has to be the flower girl.” Cole chucked a pillow at her, which she easily dodged. They were all still smiling and laughing an hour later when Stella finally returned with pizza._

 

That was just one of the dozens of memories, each retroactively more painful than the last. 

 

Cole felt himself sinking deeper into his heart, despite something trying to stop his fall. He was tired, so tired and hurt. Maybe a nap would help. He just needed to sleep....

 _“Sink into sleep....”_ Something was moving around him, closing in. 

Master Ava?

 _“Into a world without tragedy.”_ Something had him! Pulling him down and towards it. Panic rose inside him. 

I can’t.... I don’t want to forget! I don’t want to go to sleep again!

“My dandelions....”

I’m scared. 

Cole felt himself rising, one last memory flickering across his mind before fading. 

 

_“I’m sorry....” Chirithy said, looking at the ground. “I thought it would have been more painful to remember. You don’t deserve that pain.”_

_Hot tears ran down Cole’s face as he shoved everything he could think of into his pack and satchel. He had to get out. Before the dream took hold again. But when Chirithy said that.... Cole grit his teeth, whirling around. “I deserve to remember my friends are fucking /dead/ Chirithy!” The small creature flinched and stepped backward. Cole almost felt guilty. But the fact that Chirithy /knew/, had known all this time, that stopped the apology that rose in his throat._

_Chirithy looked down at the ground, nodding ever so slightly. “You’re right. But Cole... please don’t leave....”_

_Cole ignored everything else Chirithy said, slinging his bags on and practically sprinting out the door. Chirithy followed only to the threshold, then watched him leave. Cole kept Stars gripped tightly in his hand, afraid that if he let go, the dream would pull him back in. He used Stars to open the portal. “Take me out of this dream.” And it did._

 

Something warm was lying on his chest. It was heavy, but rose and fell with his breathing. There was also something on his stomach. Two somethings. One rolled down his stomach when he inhaled deeply. His body felt heavy, almost disconnected. 

Come on.... Wake up....

Cole forced one eye open a crack. Something bright red was hanging right over his face. “Hey there!”

Cole shrieked and punched upward on instinct, slamming his fist into the red thing. His legs flailed as he tried to sit up. But the thing on his chest grabbed his shoulders and held him down. Vanitas’s face appeared above him. “Cole! Cole it’s okay!”

Cole gasped, forcing himself to inhale as much as he could. “Haaaaaaaa.... What... what happened...?!” Vanitas smiled in relief, moving back and allowing Cole to sit up. 

Cole held his head, fighting a growing headache, and looked around the room. This wasn’t the Enchanted Dominion. They were in a circular room, made of stone. There was a big desk and chair in the center of the room and an wizard-looking old man in it, complete with pointy cone hat. A small crowd of people stood by the desk, staring at him. So much for a first impression. Cole flushed slightly, looking down. He was laying on a kind of army cot and Vanitas was sitting on it beside him. 

There were now two unversed on his lap, one was Sweetie, who immediately jumped up and licked his face. The other was a smaller creature, small and round with thin sticks for legs and a big bushy tail. It was colored really darkly though, all reds and blacks. Cole reached down to pet it sweetly. The unversed rubbed its face against his hand, then slowly dissolved, melting into darkness and disappearing against his skin. Vanitas put a hand on Cole’s knee, smiling softly. 

Cole let out a soft sigh and looked up at the people in the room. He quickly recognized Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Sora waved at him a little. Then standing next to Sora, on the side opposite from Donald and Goofy was a very tall, very athletic looking guy with short silver hair who seemed to be trying to suppress a smile. Then next to him was a short girl with red hair that seemed vaguely familiar. She was doing an even worse job of trying not to smile. Then Cole realized that they were looking at something behind him. 

Cole twisted and looked behind him, seeing a very disgruntled looking man with bright red hair holding his nose as blood ran down his face. “Nice shot.” He muttered. 

Cole’s eyes went wide. “Ohmygosh. I’m so sorry...!” Cole scrambled on to his knees, dropping Sweetie on to the cot. Sweetie squawked indignantly, but stole the warm spot and quieted down. Cole yanked a potion out of his satchel. “Here....” He offered it to the redhead. 

The man laughed. “No I really mean it. Nice shot.” He took the potion anyway. When the sparkles and light show faded, and the bloody nose was fixed. The man stuck his hand out. “The name’s Lea. Got it memorized?”

Cole took his hand and shook it. “Yeah! Nice to meet you Lea. I’m Cole.” 

Lea pulled Cole to his feet. “Right back at ya Cole.” He laughed and flashed a grin.

Sora bounded over, grinning like he’d just got a puppy for his birthday. “Heya Cole!”

“Hi Sora.” Cole smiled back at him, feeling a bit overwhelmed. 

Sora grabbed his hand from Lea and drug him over to his friends. “These are my friends Riku and Kairi! Riku’s a Keyblade Master! And Kairi and Lea are just starting but they’re already really strong!”

Kairi looked proud with herself and rather pleased. Riku looked a little bashful, but Cole couldn’t be really sure. He got the feeling Riku was one of those people who were hard to read until you got to know them. Riku and Kairi took turns shaking Cole’s hand, and being generally friendly. Apparently the three other keyblade wielders were outside the tower, having some alone time before their upcoming mission. Cole could understand that. 

Cole felt Sweetie starting to climb up his pants leg, so he bent down and picked him up, letting the unversed crawl into his hood. 

The old wizard man cleared his throat. Sora and Riku backed away sheepishly. Kairi and Lea stepped back too, though looking less sheepish than the others. Cole blinked, looking around at them curiously before raising his eyes to the wizard. He felt Vanitas appear at his side, standing with his head held high. The wizard examined them for a long time. Cole started to feel nervous, jitters forming in his stomach. Was he supposed to say something? Anything? Then, finally, the wizard spoke. 

“I must say I am impressed.” Cole blinked. What? The wizard nodded solemnly to himself, stroking his beard. “There is something to be said about a keyblade wielder who learned on his own. And there is more to say about one who has the power to reach through a heart of darkness to find the barest hint of light.” Cole practically felt Vanitas rolling his eyes. He almost agreed.... neither of those things were true. He didn’t find light within Vanitas, he just offered his own. And he certainly didn’t learn the keyblade on his own, as the many late nights of getting his butt kicked by- er... sparring with Haley, Apollo, and Stella were proud to announce. 

“Um....” Cole murmured. The wizard cracked an eye open, staring down his nose at him. Cole felt like his heart froze in place. But he continued. “I actually... I trained with other keyblade wielders. There were a lot of us... I don’t know there /were/ keyblade wielders who learned on their own....” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. One problem at a time. And something told Cole the wizard wouldn’t listen to what he had to say about Vanitas and hearts. He got the feeling Vanitas understood that too. 

The wizard’s eyebrows rose into his hair and Cole wondered if it was just him or if the room temperature dropped a few degrees. “Other keyblade wielders? And ‘a lot’ you say.... You certainly don’t look old enough to have trained under Eraqus.” 

Cole blinked. “I... don’t know who that is....” He shook his head. “I mean. There... /were/ a lot of us.... Most of us... died in the fight....” He looked down at the ground. The dream made the wounds fresh in his mind. The scar on his side stung. He would not break down. He would not cry. Not here. Not in front of these people. 

The wizard hummed, narrowing his eyes. “That is... interesting.... But no... that is impossible....” He mumbled that last part to himself, almost too soft to hear. 

Cole’s eyes flickered up, then he looked at Vanitas, feeling uncertain. Vanitas’s expression did not help. He’d gone pale, and his eyes were wide as he stared straight ahead. His hands were clenched and there was a certain tension in his shoulders. Cole could practically taste the uncertain tension in the air. Then, the tension changed. Vanitas turned his head to look at him, his eyes alight with some kind of realization. “Cole... did you fight in the keyblade war...?”

Cole blinked. The what? He ran a hand through his hair nervously. “Well... we didn’t exactly stop and decide on a name while we were trying to kill each other.... But I guess ‘keyblade war’ would be a fitting name....”

There was a long moment of silence, uncomfortably long. Cole started to panic. Did they think he actually fought? Killed people? Guilt and anxiety rose up inside him. “I mean, a lot of us were just trying not to die and save our friends and-“

“Cole.” The wizard spoke with a force in his voice that made Cole snap his mouth shut. “The keyblade war was fought in ancient times, long ago.”

Cole felt his mind stop moving as a realization of his own took over. Everything went still. He could feel his hands shaking slightly. He’d known something was different. Something had felt different in all the worlds he knew. So familiar, but not the same. It felt like he’d seen only pictures of the paintings, without even knowing it, and this time he was actually seeing the paintings themselves for the first time. Everything fell into place. He hoped he was wrong. Cole felt himself swallow and his mouth moved on its own. “How long ago...?”

“Long enough to fade into obscure legends. No one knows just how long ago the war truly was. Some no longer believe it truly happened.”

Cole felt like the world was dissolving around him, but his whole body was numb at the same time. This was it. Everyone, anyone who lived through the fighting, if anyone else even had, would be long dead by now. This was it. The only ones left... were him... and the dandelions. 

Cole felt Vanitas slip his hand into his own, intertwining their fingers. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “We can- I’ll work this out later....” He wasn’t going to break down. Not here. 

The wizard nodded like he understood. Then he turned his head to look at the others in the room. “Prepare for tomorrow. It will be a long day.” The group of keyblade wielders all straightened up and bowed to the wizard. He bowed his head and whispered something under his breath. Cole felt his heart hurt a little when he heard. “May your heart be your guiding key.”

 

Before Cole knew it, he was out in the hallway with Vanitas pressed to his side and mostly hiding behind him. Sora had them cornered with sparkles in his eyes. “So if you fought in the Keyblade War, that means you were there when there were a lot of keyblade wielders right?”

Cole nodded, his hand tightening around Vanitas’s. Vanitas started growling and grumbling under his breath. “Yeah...,” Cole smiled slightly. “There were a lot of us....”

Sora’s eyes glimmered with a curious fire that Cole easily recognized. He prepared himself for rapid fire questions, even though he wasn’t sure if he was ready to answer them. But before Sora could get a word out, a pair of hands covered his eyes and tilted his head backwards. Sora made a surprised squawking sound as the guy with silver hair dropped his chin onto his hands, still holding Sora’s head back. 

“Relax Sora. You don’t want to scare him, do you?”

“Whaaaa~? Riku?!” Sora’s arm flailed for a minute before he pushed the silver haired guy’s hands off his face. The silver haired guy, Riku, compromised by draping his arms around Sora’s neck and dropping his chin onto Sora’s head. Sora huffed and puffed, making a show of “protesting” but he quickly settled down. 

Cole couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. Vanitas huffed and looked away, but pressed his shoulder against Cole’s a little more. Someone was not in a socializing mood apparently. So, Cole would do some for him. He raised his free hand, smiling a little wider. “Hey again.”

Riku raised his hand in return. “Hey. Sorry about that. Sora’s not one for subtly.”

“Hey!” Sora protested, squirming and flailing against Riku’s arm. Riku snickered to himself and dropped his hand back onto Sora’s collarbone. 

“So,” Riku started, tilting his head. “Are you two dating?”

Cole felt his face go hot and cold at the same time. He felt his heart rate skyrocket. “No!” He sputtered. 

“Yes,” Vanitas answered at the same time. 

There was a pause. 

What?

Riku’s eyebrows shot up into his hair line. 

What...?!

Cole and Vanitas turned to look at each other, equally confused. 

What?!

Cole sputtered. “Wh- we-...! We’re not dating??!!”

Vanitas started turning red. “What do you mean?! We went on a date!”

“Yeah! /One/!”

Vanitas blinked, looking more confused. “We’re still on the date...!”

Cole actually felt the blood rushing out of his head as more flew to his face. “Did- did you think we’ve been on the same date for two months?!” Suddenly everything made sense. But also not at all. 

Vanitas blinked. “Is that not how that works...?” His voice was soft, almost delicate. “I thought that was how that worked.”

Cole shook his head slightly, but couldn’t help the grin that broke out over his face. “I thought you didn’t like it....” He’d thought Vani hadn’t liked /him/ like that. He’d never brought it up again. But if Vani had thought they’d been dating for the past two months.... That meant he did... right?

Vanitas huffed and growled low in his throat. “I thought I told you. If I don’t like you, I’d /tell/ you.” He grumbled to himself about stupid dating things, but leaned against Cole so much Cole was practically holding them both up. 

“Right. Donno how I keep forgetting that.” Cole smiled. “So guess I better make up for lost time, huh?” He nudged Vanitas’s side. “So do you wanna go on more dates with me Vani?” He was not blushing. He was totally not blushing. 

“Yes.” Vanitas grumbled, narrowing his eyes at him. Cole was totally blushing. 

Sora made a long humming sound, turning his head up to stare at Riku. “So... that’s not how it works...? I’m sorry Riku.” Cole turned towards them, raising his eyebrows. 

Riku blinked. He looked confused. “What?” 

“I didn’t know you were supposed to ask someone out on more than one date.”

Riku stared down at Sora with a blank expression. “Sora... we haven’t been on any dates....” He sounded very confused and very surprised, but also a little bit hopeful. 

Sora blinked. “Yeah we did. When we were on the islands, before we took our mark of mastery exam. We went out to the play island and you let me braid your hair... back before you cut it.” He reached up and batted a lock of silver hair out of Riku’s face. 

Riku’s face suddenly turned three shades redder. He opened and closed his mouth several times. Apparently he hadn’t considered that a date. He looked presently surprised though. Cole felt himself smile. They reminded him of Eddie and Apollo. The unstoppable force and the unmovable object. At least Apollo and Eddie could communicate. 

Cole bit back a laugh, but before anyone else could respond, Vanitas leaned forward. “So it’s your fault!” He jabbed a finger at Sora. “You’re the one who made me like this!” 

Cole snorted out a laugh, then tried to cover it up by coughing. But that turned into choking back laughter, which only made everyone turn and look at him. Cole felt his face heat up. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry...! I just....” Vanitas glared at him. 

A red head of hair suddenly poked around the corner. “I thought I heard people up here,” Kairi said, a soft smile spreading across her face. “Hey Sora. Hi Riku.” She stepped around those two, beaming at Cole. “And hello again to you two too!”

Vanitas ducked behind Cole again, leaving him to be the social one. Traitor. Sweetie chittered smugly from his hiding place in Cole’s hood. Cole pushed a smile onto his face. “Hey again. Kairi right?” He held out his hand. She took it. 

 

Kairi, thankfully, hadn’t come to chat and such; Cole wasn’t sure he could have handled that at the moment, especially along with everything else that had been going on. Instead she’d dragged Sora and Riku away for friend time. Cole heard something about ‘relaxing target practice’ and was pretty sure he heard one to the boys whimper. A few moments later, a walking broom with arms ushered, or rather swept, Cole and Vanitas into a room. 

There were two beds in the small room, each pushed up against the wall and made with soft looking sheets and blankets. Cole saw that one of the beds had a blanket sewn with a familiar scaly texture that made him miss home. Grace had given him a blanket like that, so long ago. There was a window on the far wall that let in the orange and purple light of the sky outside. Cole wondered what it would look like if he colored shapes on it like their stained glass window back home. 

Vanitas started investigating the room, either curiously or suspiciously, or both. Cole watched him snooping in the wardrobe, set against the same wall as the door, and poking his head under the beds. “At least there aren’t any snakes this time,” Cole laughed softly. 

Vanitas raised his head with a start. “Ugh. Don’t remind me....” He opened the window and poked his head out. “Looks like a safe height to jump....”

“I am /not/ jumping out that window.” Cole wrapped himself in the textured blanket, turning himself into a fluffy, scaly burrito. 

Vanitas glanced back at him, then out the window again. “This world is so small.... it’s just this tower and the little bit of land around it.... It’d be almost impossible to find this world unless you were looking for it... or something led you here.” He stepped back from the window and closed it. Vanitas was quiet for a long moment. He didn’t turn around. “I... I’m sorry, Cole.”

Cole tilted his head, then flailed the blanket off him so he could sit up. “What are you sorry for?” Sweetie jumped down onto the bed, standing on his back feet and staring at Vanitas. 

Vanitas ran a hand through his hair. “Not being clear.... I- I thought-.... I thought we were dating. And... I never said anything... or did anything because... damn it! I thought I wasn’t supposed to!” He whirled around and Cole saw the pain and confusion painted across his face. “I don’t know all this shit about- about normal people. I don’t know how they think, what they do, nothing! I- I thought you were supposed to wait to kiss for the first time! I was waiting, but I had no idea how long I was supposed to!” He leaned back against the wall. “I don’t know what I’m doing.... And... I’m sorry.”

Cole chewed the inside of his lip for a moment. Then he stood up and walked across the room to Vanitas. “I’m sorry too. I don’t.... I’m kinda bad at telling other people how I feel and stuff like that... if you hadn’t noticed.” He laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his hair and looking down at his shoes. “I... I just expect other people to not like me as a default and I think I have to do something to make them like me. And I know it’s not right. But still I.... I never thought I’d ever find someone I actually... love who would... like me too....” He looked up at Vanitas. “I like you. Like... I really wanna go on more dates with you and... other stuff too....” He hesitated, then felt his lips pull into a grin. “You don’t have to wait... to kiss me.... If you wanna....”

Vanitas looked back at him with his scarlet red eyes. He seemed to be examining Cole’s face. Then, very slowly, hesitantly, he leaned forward. Cole did too. Eyes fluttered shut. Deep breaths were taken. Their lips met. They kissed. 

A moment later, Cole felt Vanitas’s hands sliding up his arms. Cole felt his hands find Vanitas’s waist. They were both hesitant, nervous. Cole could feel the warmth radiating off Vanitas. He could feel his heart, dark and gentle, reaching out towards him. Cole reached back. 

Their hearts met and suddenly Cole was breathless. He felt electricity running through him like a circuit, from his lips, through his heart, and into his hands, then back into him from Vanitas’s hands on his shoulders. They pulled away, staring at each other. Vanitas’s eyes were shining. “I... I told Stella I’d be your darkness. If the world is made of light and darkness, I’ll be the darkness, so you don’t have to be.” 

Cole felt a grin spread across his face. “Then I’ll be your light. If the world is made of light and darkness, I’ll be the light, so you don’t have to be.”

Vanitas gave a breathy laugh, laying his head on Cole’s shoulder. Cole could feel him grinning against his collarbone. He mumbled something too soft for Cole to hear. 

Cole hummed softly, patting Vanitas’s back. Then he paused. “Wait....” He pulled back from Vanitas. “When did you talk to Stella?!”

Vanitas’s eyes widened. “Oh right...! When I went into your heart I met her and the others. They were acting as guardians of your heart.”

Cole stared at him, now very confused. “You went into my heart?”

Vanitas nodded. “Maleficent put your heart into a deep sleep. It would have killed you... but I brought you here. Then, to wake you up, since I’m the only one here who knows you, past the briefest of meetings, I dove into your heart.” He smiled proudly. “And your friends were guarding your heart. They said to tell you, they’re still here.” He touched a finger to Cole’s chest, above his heart. 

Cole stared down at the finger on his chest. Something warm ran down his cheeks. “Still here...,” he breathed, a hand drifting up to hover over his heart. “Yeah. They’re still here.” He felt himself smile. “They’ll always be part of my heart.” He smiled up at Vanitas. “Thanks.”

Vanitas blinked, then flushed and looked away. “I was just telling you what Stella said....” 

Cole smiled softly. He leaned forward and pecked Vanitas on the cheek. “Still. Thanks.” Vanitas turned a little redder. He mumbled something and dropped his head on Cole’s shoulder, hugging him tightly. Cole hummed softly, rubbing Vanitas’s back. “So, you know what the heck the others’ mission is all about?”

 

Another keyblade war. What the hell? Cole sat on the bed, leaning back against the wall, the textured blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Sweetie was curled in his lap, whining and nosing at his hand to elicit pets from him. Vanitas leaned against his shoulder, tracing the lines on his palms. 

Another keyblade war.... What the hell? And Sora and the others were going to fight in it...? Seven lights and thirteen darknesses. A war fought with twenty people. Cole didn’t know what to think. Was he proud? Was he horrified? He knew he was scared. Scared for his new friends. Scared for what might happen during the fighting, what might happen after. 

Cole closed his hand around Vanitas’s. Vanitas squeezed his hand. He could probably feel him trembling. Cole closed his eyes. It had never really felt real until now. All the fogginess of the dream world, the one where the keyblade war had never happened, had made the fighting feel like a half remembered dream, even after he’d escaped it. But now everything came crashing down on him. They were really gone. Not just Stella and the others, but everyone. 

The red haired girl from Ursus who could always be found making flower crowns by the fountain. She was dead. The black haired boy who always wore that stupid metal helmet with the dent in it. He was dead. That person with the long black braid who was always humming to themselves and waving their keyblade around like a conductor’s stick. They were dead. The brother and sister, the ten and twelve year olds, Eddie took care of when their guild went on dangerous missions. They were dead too. 

Cole felt himself curling into a ball more than he saw it. His mind was back in Daybreak Town, trying to remember everyone he’d ever met. How many of them had made it into the dandelions? The dream version of Daybreak Town had felt so much smaller, so much quieter. At least now he knew why. 

Vanitas wrapped his arms around him, laying his cheek on Cole’s head. He was warm. He was alive. Cole leaned against him, taking shallow breaths until his eyes stopped watering. He looked up at Vanitas and smiled. Vanitas stared down at him, a slightly forced smile on his lips. He looked uncomfortable, like he didn’t know what to do. Cole laid his head on his shoulder and closed his eyes. 

“You know...,” Vanitas murmured after a moment, “I’m a little surprised they didn’t ask you to be one of their Guardians of Light. Your heart is so strong and it’s kind of light is a different kind than the others.” Cole cracked an eye open. Vanitas was staring straight ahead, looking lost in thought. 

“But maybe that’s why they didn’t ask. Your heart’s light is gentle. It can even coexist, no. It can connect with my darkness. You don’t make me feel like I need to fight for my existence against your light. It’s... relaxing. Your light supports my darkness, makes it stronger, without destroying it.” He sighed softly, looking down at Cole. “So maybe that’s why they didn’t ask you to be a Guardian of Light.”

Cole sat up a little, tilting his head. “I am a guardian of light. But I guess I’m also a guardian of darkness.” He smiled at Vanitas’s confused expression. “You don’t have to be of the light to fight for it. You don’t have to be of the darkness to seek it. I don’t want either to disappear. The world is... itself because it has light and darkness.” 

Cole slowly rose to his feet, stretching his arms out. “So if I don’t count as a Guardian of Light or a Seeker of Darkness, I must be somewhere in the middle.” He thought for a minute. “Maybe... A Knight of the Between?” He glanced over his shoulder. “How does that sound?”

Vanitas looked skeptical, raising an eyebrow. “Honestly? Really cheesy.” Cole huffed, crossing his arms. “But...,” Vanitas hummed as he slid off the bed. He draped his arms around Cole’s shoulders. “I like it. It suits you.” 

Cole snickered. “Gee, thanks.” He grinned. “I think it suits you too.” 

Vanitas looked offended and squinted at him. Cole lost his resolve and started laughing. Vanitas huffed and puffed, tightening his arms around him. Cole slowly quieted down. He ran a hand through Vanitas’s hair. “Thanks Vani.” 

Vanitas smiled slightly, then drifted back towards the bed, picking up the blanket and shaking Sweetie out of it. Cole laughed softly, then covered his mouth with his hand as he yawned. “Come on... I’m tired.”

“How can you be tired? You slept all day...!” Vanitas huffed, rolling his eyes. 

“I was in a magic induced coma all day,” Cole corrected. He crawled onto the bed, nesting under the blankets. Sweetie crawled over him and curled up against his stomach. 

Vanitas glared at the unversed, then slipped into bed next to Cole. When he noticed Cole’s smirk he glared at him. “It’s cold out there.” 

Cole smiled softly, closing his eyes. “You don’t need an excuse to stay with me Vani.” 

Cole felt Vanitas drape one arm over him, pulling him closer. “Of course not. You’re my light. That’s reason enough.”

“Still an excuse~.”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phwah! That took a lot to write. Either cuz it’s summer now or cause I keep getting distracted. Or both. 
> 
> That chapter thing is a tentative number at this point so don’t be surprised if it changes! 
> 
> I have been planning that ‘Are you two dating’ joke since Destiny Islands. :} So good to finally get to it. 
> 
> And, as always, thank you all for reading and being so supportive and everything! 
> 
> This has been so much fun to write and I really like getting to talk to all of you in the comments and such! I have some final surprises coming up pretty soon story wise so hope y’all are ready for em. ;3
> 
> Also~ Cole+Vanitas kinda thematically parallel Sora+Riku huh~? There’s one more pair who’ll join that paralleling before the story is over. And I wonder if anybody can guess who that might be~ ;}c


	22. Keyblade Graveyard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **LAST WARNING**  
>  Kingdom Hearts three spoilers from here on out. Be warned!!
> 
>  **Also**  
>  Some little bit gruesome violence up ahead. There’s not really any warning for it in text. But there is some there. Stay safe y’all.

A dreamless sleep met Cole that night. There was nothing to rouse him. No long dead friends came calling. No troubling memories even looked his way. Anxious speculation about an uncertain future didn’t dare touch him. He was just consumed by nothingness, wrapped in a heavy blanket of darkness. It felt so nice to just be, and nothing else, for a while. So of course it didn’t last long enough. 

Cole woke up with Sweetie making kissy sounds in his face and Vanitas grumbling in his sleep, his face pressed into his hair. Cole briefly wondered if Vanitas had been chewing on his hair, but decided that if someone had been chewing on his hair, it had been Sweetie. He sat up slowly, feeling Vanitas’s hand slide down his chest to land in his lap. Sweetie scrambled up onto his legs and made ‘Up! Up! Pick me up!’ motions. Cole cracked an eye open and felt himself smile. 

“So cute....” Cole rubbed his hand over the unversed’s head. Then he looked down at the still snoring blob beside him. Vani was so cute too. His cute boyfriend now! Cole felt his heart flutter shyly. His smile spread a little further. 

But, there was other things to do rather than marvel over how cute his boys were. Things like the bathroom. But, he paused, slowly reexamining the situation. He was trapped. Cole had slept closer to the wall, which was fine, but now that he was awake he’d have to climb over Vanitas to get out. Which, giving how light Vanitas slept, was not going to work out the way he wanted it to. Cole chewed his lip thoughtfully. “Okay.... How are we gonna do this...?” He looked at Sweetie and felt a smirk tug at his lip. “Maybe a little levitation?”

Cole took a deep breath, preparing to cast an air spell on himself, but before he could, Vanitas’s hand reached up and grabbed him, yanking him back down. Cole blinked as Vanitas curled around him, partly on top of him, and squeezed him like a teddy bear. He buried his face in Cole’s hair and mumbled something incoherent. 

Cole sighed, smiling softly. He eyed Sweetie. “Don’t suppose you have any ideas.” The unversed looked puzzled for a long moment. Cole shook his head slightly. “Never mind. I have accepted my fate. Can’t move when the cat sits on you.” He draped his arm over Vanitas’s waist, rubbing his thumb against the seam of his shirt. “We should really invest in some pajamas, don’t ya think?”

Sweetie squeaked at him, scurrying up to sit on Vanitas’s waist. He pushed Cole’s hand away and crouched down, wiggling back and forth. Cole raised an eyebrow. Then, Sweetie made a noise that sounded like a war cry and started jumping up and down on Vanitas. Cole’s eyes widened and he tried to grab the unversed off Vanitas, but it was too late. In a flurry of movement, Cole was hauled to his feet and there was a keyblade in the corner of his vision. 

Vanitas was on his feet, keyblade ready to kill and Cole held tightly against his chest. But after a moment... nothing happened. Vanitas lowered his keyblade, looking down at Cole, his face squished against Vanitas’s chest. “Morning Vani.” Cole mumbled, defeated. Sweetie squeaked indignantly at his feet, hissing at him. 

 

Apparently the others had left in the morning, since the ‘gummy ship’ took a while to travel. And apparently the two of them had slept until afternoon. Cole wasn’t too surprised. He tended to sleep late when nobody woke him up. But Vanitas seemed almost insulted that he’d slept to late too. So, since they really had nothing better to do, Cole and Vanitas sat on the floor of Yen Sid’s study, playing go fish. Cole really wished they had something better to do. 

“Got any aces?” Cole asked. 

“Yeah,” Vanitas responded, handing them over. Cole sat down a group of four. 

“Any sixes?”

“No.”

Cole drew a card and put it into his hand. Sweetie whined, stretching out in his lap. “Wonder how the others are doing,” Cole murmured, glancing towards Yen Sid. The old wizard was still sitting behind his desk, as if he hadn’t moved since yesterday. 

“No clue. Maybe still traveling.” Vanitas eyed his hand. “Kings.”

“Yup.” Cole handed over a card. “How far is the... the thing from here?”

“Depends,” Vanitas chewed his lip. “Jacks.”

“Go fish.”

Vanitas drew a card and set down a stack of fours. “The distances between worlds change depending on what path you use. Could be the next world over, could be half way across existence.”

“Got any queens?” Cole asked. Vanitas handed over two cards. “I wish we could help.” 

“There is nothing you could do,” the wizard said, finally acknowledging them for the first time in two hours. “This keyblade war must have thirteen darknesses and seven lights.” He stroked his beard. “And I doubt you both would enjoy fighting on opposite sides.” 

Cole looked down at the stack of cards between them, chewing his lip. “That’s... true I guess. Tens.”

“Damn it!” Three cards. Cole set down a stack. 

“But still. It feels... just wrong to stay here and do nothing. Sevens?”

Vanitas shook his head. Cole drew a card. “The best thing to do is offer our hearts’ support. Keep believing that they will succeed.” The wizard muttered, almost like he’d practiced that line a hundred times. 

Vanitas snorted, leaning forward to whisper to Cole. “Sounds like an excuse for someone who doesn’t want to get up.” Yen Sid cracked an eye open and shot a dirty look at Vanitas, who promptly ignored it. 

Cole rolled his eyes but smiled. “Well what do /you/ think we should do then?”

Vanitas hummed, eyeing his cards. “Well... first give me your nines....”

“No nines.”

“Damn it!” Vanitas drew a card. “Then, we should go help. Prophesy or whatever didn’t say anything about some neutral parties joining the fight. Or, even if we have to count as a light and a darkness, didn’t say we couldn’t be on the same side.” He smirked. “That is, if you’re feeling up for it.”

Cole felt his eyebrows go up. “Really?” He leaned forward. “You think we can?”

A grin spread across Vanitas’s face. “Sure.” He glanced up at Yen Sid, who looked deep in thought. “We should probably leave before he makes the executive decision that it’s a bad idea.”

Cole grinned, dropping the cards in his hands. “Then let’s go...!” He said in a hurried whisper. Vanitas hopped up and pulled Cole to his feet. Sweetie fell to the ground, squeaking in irritation. “Sorry Sweetie....” The unversed huffed and crawled up Cole’s leg and nestled into his hood. Vanitas spared one last glance towards the wizard, then opened a portal. Cole grinned as Vanitas pulled him in. He thought he heard the wizard mumble something as they left, but it didn’t sound like a reprimand. And just like that, they left the tower behind. 

 

Stale, dry air scratched at Cole’s skin as soon as he stepped out of the portal. Or, Vani called them corridors right? There was dust hanging and blowing in the air, swirling and drifting like a chaotic mess. Cole couldn’t make heads or tails of the wind patterns. An idea formed in his mind. The wind moved like... a thousand different wills... colliding all at once. Cole forced himself to swallow down the feeling that was building in his throat. He pushed the thought away. He glanced up at Vanitas, who didn’t look much better. 

“This is where I was formed...,” he mumbled. “Where my master split us into two.... This is where I trained... where I....” Vanitas took a deep breath. 

“Are you okay...?” Cole asked. 

Vanitas nodded. “Just didn’t expect so many memories at once.” He was biting his lip... really hard. Cole laid a hand on his arm, feeling Vanitas flinch. “Yeah.... I’m okay.” He pushed a small smile onto his face. 

Cole smiled back. “Okay... just.... I’m here with you this time. If you get lost in your darkest memories... I’ll be the light that guides you out.” He let out a soft laugh. “Wow...! I sound like the foretellers.... So poetic, so dramatic.” He flashed a grin up at Vanitas, trying to lighten the mood. Apparently it worked. 

Vanitas smiled back down at him, rolling his eyes. “Sure I guess. Come on, let’s find these idiots who left us behind.” He scanned the horizon, then started off in a direction, not quite straight ahead. 

Cole trotted after him. “Do you know where they are?”

Vanitas shrugged. “It’s... kinda. I think Sora and... him are this way.... I can... kind of feel them, their hearts. Kinda. I think it’s because we shared the same heart for a while...?”

“Really? That’s cool...!” Cole tilted his head. “But, who is ‘him’?”

Vanitas’s head bobbed from side to side in an unsure way. “My... old light...?” He scratched the back of his head like he wasn’t sure how to answer. “I just realized I never actually told you his name. But I’ll let him introduce himself when you meet him. It’d... feel weird if I did it now...?”

Cole snickered. “Fair enough.” 

Suddenly Vanitas froze, his mouth agape and his eyes wide and horrified. “His light just...,” he breathed. 

Cole stopped walking, looking back at Vanitas. He felt something cold grow in his chest. “What...?”

“His heart... it’s...! They’re in danger!” Vanitas took of in a dead run. Cole scrambled after him, suddenly remembering just how much of a difference in physical prowess there was between them. A moment later and Vanitas was already a good ways ahead of him, apparently not waiting for him. Cole looked around. If he could use the flow motion... he could catch up... but there was nothing around them, just a barren landscape, and broken cliff sides slowly closing in on either side. So he resigned himself to running, despite the already forming stitch in his side. 

Cole was breathing hard, panting and gasping when Vanitas finally slowed down. Cole muttered a few choice words about his portal placement skills and slowed to a fast jog instead of a desperate sprint. He saw a cliff up ahead, a shear drop in the ground before them. Vanitas skidded to a stop at the edge of it, staring down at whatever was below. Cole caught up with him moments later, but there was already a disaster unfolded before them. 

Sora was dangling twenty feet above the ground, almost on level with them, and wrapped in some kind of dark purple chain that was suspended from nothing. A blond boy in light colored clothing hung next to him, both hanging limply as if they were unconscious or asleep... or-.... Cole shook his head. They weren’t-. He could still feel their hearts. They were still alive. Unconscious it was then. 

Below them, there were cliffs rising on nearly all sides, with only a thin break in the bowl shape, a small crevasse, that allowed entrance. The other guardians all stood down there with weapons drawn, completely surrounded by a slowly closing circle of heartless, those white rubbery creatures he’d seen once before, and... unversed. Cole felt a small chill creep up his arms. 

There were so many enemies... they practically carpeted the ground. Donald and Goofy flanked someone wielding a keyblade, who Cole felt like he should recognize. Kairi and Lea stood back to back, both looking nervous enough that Cole could see it, even from so far away. A woman with blue hair, who was the only person Cole was absolutely sure he didn’t know, stood back to back with Riku, both of them staring up at a line of figures in black coats challengingly. There was an anxious tension in the air, like the world itself was holding its breath. 

Vanitas grabbed Cole’s arm and pulled him backwards into the shadow of the cliffs. “That’s them, my master and his Seekers of Darkness.”

Cole looked up at the figures. They all looked about the same, dressed in the same black coat with the hoods pulled up to hide their faces -faceless, anonymous- all except an old man. He stood at the front of the pack, looking down at the slowly retreating keyblade wielders. His skin was the color of worn leather and the hair on his chin was as white as silver could be. There was something about him, the way he stood, the aura he gave off, the void of absence where his heart should have been, there was something, something that sent chills crawling across Cole’s arms. Cole swallowed thickly, then felt the vice grip Vanitas had on his arm. His fingertips were pressing into him so hard, he thought there might be indents in his muscles when he finally let go. 

“Vani...,” Cole said softly. “You okay?”

“No.” Vanitas murmured, slowly forcing himself to pry his fingers out of him. “But I’ll be fine.” He smiled at Cole. “After all, I’m not on my own anymore.”

Cole smiled. “Right. Now... first order of business....” He glanced out over the field, strategies forming in his mind one after another. “First, free the hostages.” He pointed at Sora and the blond boy, then glanced at Vanitas. “Think you can be a distraction while I climb up and cut them loose?”

Vanitas smirked. “Annoy the stuck up old people? Thought you’d never ask.” He squeezed Cole’s hand and grinned. “Be right back.”

Cole grinned back at him. He’d rarely seen him so enthusiastic before. There was a sparkle in his eye and an energy to his voice that just made him seem more alive. Truly, Vanitas was a warrior through and through. When this was done, Cole decided, he was gonna set Vanitas up with some nice sparring practices. He had promised him one after all, so long ago. Cole leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “Don’t die. I’ll be very upset with you.” 

Vanitas’s face split into an almost cocky grin. “Course I won’t. I gotta take you on that second date, right?”

“Right.” Vanitas disappeared into shadow. Cole felt his chest fill with warmth as a stupid grin spread across his face. Vani was gonna take him on a second date. Cole felt butterflies flirting around in his stomach. He allowed himself to revel in the warm, giddy feeling for a moment. Then, he took a deep breath and settled himself. Lovey dovey stuff could wait for later. Fighting time now. 

Something screeched from down below. Cole watched as a wave rose through the ranks, sending ripples in all directions. A large beast-like heartless toppled over as a pack of small unversed swarmed over it, ripping into it. The heartless disappeared with a roar and a cloud of smoke. Cole couldn’t help the grin that split his face. That was certainly one way to make an entrance. 

The old man turned towards one of the hooded figures, one of the short ones. Several other taller figures did as well. The one everyone was looking at looked like he was trying to defend himself, that was Vani’s double no doubt. The unversed were out of control right? Of course it was his fault. Cole took the opportunity to creep out into the open, edging his way towards Sora, who was closer than the blond boy. 

“Hey there losers...!” Vanitas’s voice ripped through the air with a tone practically dripping in confidence and power. “Remember me?”

Cole was suddenly very glad he’d never been on the receiving end of that. There was a force behind it that probably would have crushed his self esteem. He crouched on a small ledge, as close to Sora as he could get. He was suddenly wishing for some pixie dust, like back in Neverland. Damn that felt like a lifetime ago. He whispered an air spell, feeling his hair fluttering around his head almost instantly, and started stealthily floating towards the unconscious Sora. 

“Who the hell said you could use /my/ unversed?” Vanitas snapped. He glowered up at his double, who was staring down at him with a look of pure venom, even without the use of his face.

The not-Vani took a step forward, looking like he was ready to pounce down and attack him. But the old man held his hand up. “Well, isn’t this a surprise?” He didn’t sound surprised. 

Another hooded figure tossed his hood off, stepping forward. He looked similar to the old man, but younger. “Why have you returned, Vanitas?”

Vanitas tilted his head. “Oh... Xemnas....” There was a definite tone of ‘ew’ in his voice. He pointed his keyblade up at not-Vani. “You want a reason? That’s my reason.” 

Cole tuned him out to focus as he reached Sora. He hid behind him as best as he could, so the hooded figures couldn’t see him. Best to keep the stealth mission stealthy as long as possible right? Cole grabbed Sora’s shoulder and shook it. “Sora...!” He hissed. 

Sora’s head rolled as he gave a small groan. Cole covered his mouth with his hand. “Shh. Sora wake up.” Sora raised his head ever so slightly, his eye cracking open to look back at Cole. “I’m gonna get you out. Get ready to fall.” Cole pulled his hand back. 

Sora nodded ever so slightly, flexing his hands, probably to wake them up. Cole pondered the chains for a second, glancing towards the blond boy, then he slipped Moonlight into Sora’s hand in a reverse grip. He waited a moment, to see if Moonlight would disappear, but it remained solid. “Okay,” Cole murmured. “I’m gonna float on over to the blond boy over there and get him loose. When that happens you freeze, then very quickly break the chains. Think you can do that?” 

“Yeah,” Sora breathed, holding Moonlight tighter. “I think he hit his head pretty hard though. So I don’t know if you can wake him up as easily.”

Cole hummed softly, summoning Stars to his hand. “Then I’ll just have to carry him down.” He whispered another air spell into Stars and glanced towards the hooded figures again. They were all focused on Vanitas griping at them. Cole grinned. Who knew he had such a good stage presence? Let alone his improv skills. Cole gently pushed off Sora, floating over to the blond boy. He didn’t even try to shake him when he caught onto the chains. He threaded his fingers around one of the chains wrapped around him, hanging on as tight as he could, ready to catch the boy when the chain dropped him. 

Cole grit his teeth and summoned Stars Align’s specialty magic. A shimmering red barrier formed before Stars. And with a flash of red and gold, Cole swung Stars up at the chain, the single strand that was holding the boy in the air. The chain shattered. Or at least. It should have. 

The collision, what should have broken through the chain and sent them plummeting towards the ground, reverberated through Stars and down Cole’s arm, nearly making him loose his grip on both the blond boy and Stars. He managed to hold on, but just barely. 

Cole winced to himself, uselessly hoping that nobody noticed that. But in that moment, every eye had turned to stare at him. Cole felt his eye twitch. “Oops.”

Suddenly the chain jerked, moving as if pulled by some invisible force. It swung them around, then wrenched itself the other way. And Cole lost his grip. 

In a flashing revolution of sky-ground-sky-ground-sky-heartless, Cole felt light headed. He just barely had the time, and the will power to raise Stars and let her cast a shield around him. Then he slammed into the ground, skidding across it, until he finally slid to a stop. Cole winced, forcing his eyes open. At least he hadn’t hit his head. His whole side was on fire. Several layers of skin had probably been scraped off, even through his clothes. If Stars hadn’t protected him, he probably would have broken half the bones in his body, or at least his arm. Cole forced himself to his feet, swaying unsteadily. He held Stars’ grip as tightly as he could force himself to, glaring up at the jerks who’d threw him. One of the hooded figures looked like he was trying not to laugh. 

Cole had landed beyond the army heartless, thank lux. He’d been thrown through the only cliff free space, landing outside the basin. He honestly wasn’t sure the odds of that, and wasn’t sure he really wanted to. He was just grateful that he hadn’t been smacked against a cliff side. That probably would have hurt a lot more. He felt Moonlight dissipate. So Sora had dispelled it then, or dropped it. He grimaced. 

“You okay?” Lea shouted above the heartless, looking half tempted to make a run for him. Cole nodded and hefted his keyblade above his head. That was more reflex than a conscious decision. He let Stars fall to his side. Nobody really seemed understand the gesture, or really care. Oh well. 

“Congregate all you like,” another hooded figure said. “It does not matter. The forces of darkness are still too strong for you.” He raised his hand and a force started pulling at the heartless, drawing the shadows together. 

Cole’s eyes widened as a funnel of heartless slowly formed. Ice worked its way up his spine. He’d seen something like that a few times before, the first time was... the day he’d gotten his keyblade. But never before had he seen one so enormous. Before he even knew what he was doing, Cole was running forward full speed. He called for Moonlight, feeling the weight appear in his hand. He had to dispel the swarm before it fully formed. 

The others seemed to realize the same thing. Lea chucked his keyblade at the center of the swarm, sending a whirlwind of flames in all directions. The blue haired woman fired a burst of magic at it. Magic popped and sparked in the air around it. Riku and the mouse -Mickey...! His name is Mickey!- both rushed into attack, cutting down heartless before they could join the swarm. 

Cole felt magic building in both his keyblades as he got closer, running full speed. He leapt up onto the cliff face, using the flow motion to pass over the crowd of enemies that separated him from the other keyblade wielders. When he was close enough, Cole leapt into the air and let out a yell as he brought his keyblades down in an X, setting a swath of heartless on fire and electrocuting even more. But, despite all their efforts, the swarm built too fast. A massive swirling cloud of heartless towered above them. Cole felt something in his chest shrivel. Oh. That was hope. 

Several streams of heartless split off from the main funnel, snaking through the air like they were looking for something. Cole caught his breath, glancing up towards Sora and the blond boy. But they were gone. Cole felt ice creeping up his spine, but, with a flood of relief, his eyes found Sora stumbling to his feet, keyblade held up in front of him. His skin looked a little grayer than before. Vanitas stood near him, the blond boy thrown over his shoulder. Ah. So he’d used a portal to grab them out of the air. “Corridor...,” Cole corrected himself, then shook his head, raising his own keyblades. 

A tendril of the heartless storm dove downwards suddenly. It moved too fast. Cole didn’t even have time to react before the swarm blindsided Donald. He disappeared in an instant. Goofy was gone a second later. Cole heard Sora shout something, but at that moment, the rest of the enemy horde surged forward. Screeching and magic filled the air, the sounds practically tangible. 

It was chaos in an instant. Cole’s focus narrowed to reflex. Jump, slash, magic, dodge: repeat. He leapt over a heartless, kicking off its head. Stars tore through a squishy white creature that exploded into grey ribbons. Moonlight threw fire into a giant heartless. Several unversed jumped at him, Cole rolled away from them, his heart hurting when they snapped at him. A volley of spells shot past him, ripping a heartless to shreds. A white creature swam through the air, throughly on fire. He kicked off a large unversed. Moonlight ripped through a heartless’s face. Stars let out a pulse of energy, vaporizing several enemies when a shield formed through them. Cole ducked an arm when a heartless swung at him. Someone shook the ground. Someone shot down the heartless in the air. Cole landed on a large rock, already breathing hard. He glanced around the battlefield. 

_People screaming. Keyblades flashing. Spells flaring. People dying. Hearts floating up into the sky. People died._

Riku and Sora stood back to back, magic surrounding them, binding their keyblades together as they cut through the enemies like they were made of nothing. Mickey was flipping through the air like he was playing the worlds’ most dangerous game of ‘the floor is lava,’ firing off spells in all directions with the accuracy of someone who’d been wielding for a very long time. Lea swung his keyblade around like it was a tonfa, a trail of fire trailing out of its teeth, most of the enemies around him crumbled to dust almost immediately. Kairi stood in a circle she’d cleared by herself. Each time an enemy came within five feet of her, she cut it down immediately. Light radiated through her keyblade, practically humming with power. The blue haired woman was doing something weird, spinning like a ballet dancer with ribbons of light swirling around her. But every time the ribbons touched an enemy it shriveled under the light. Whatever works....

Cole finally saw Vanitas. A wave of relief flooded through him. He was standing with the blond haired boy, who must have been his light. They were facing each other, keyblades drawn. For one horrified moment, Cole thought they were fighting each other. But then they darted past each other, diving at the enemies. Cole felt a small spark of hope in his chest. The number of enemies were dwindling noticeably. Cole felt a surge of confidence. He leapt over a large unversed, and after just a moment of hesitation, he brought Moonlight down to tear through it. The unversed exploded with a roar that shook dust into the air. For a moment Cole felt like they might actually turn this around. 

Then that moment was gone. 

Lea stumbled, either an enemy had caught his leg, or he’d misstepped. Either way, he went down with a surprised cry. And a moment later, the funnel of heartless dipped down and scooped him up. Lea disappeared. 

Cole heard Kairi shout something that was drowned out in the noise and saw her charge towards the funnel that devoured him. She brought her keyblade down with a howl, and severed a good part of it, but that part was quickly consumed by the body of the funnel. The stream of heartless tried to snatch her, but she danced out of the way. 

Another scream caught Cole’s attention. The blue haired woman was knocked off her feet when a beast like heartless charged, just barely clipping her shoulder. Cole saw her keyblade soar up into the air, landing much too far away for her to reach. The swarm descended and devoured the world around her, leaving a chewed up crater. With a cold realization Cole realized that this whole thing was part of the swarm. Even the heartless that weren’t connected to the funnel, even the unversed, and the other creatures too. They were all part of the swarm, a chaotic hive-mind, each creature was just another limb to be extended, used. Cole felt something in his chest wither. There was no way... no way to win this. 

He glanced around wildly, looking up at the sky. 

_Hearts floating up in to the sky. Flashes of light echoing of the cliffs and the fallen keyblades. A few faintly glowing, trying to cling to life in vain. There were no winners here. They all fought.... No one could win._

Mickey had disappeared sometime since he’d seen him last. Cole felt something collapsing in his chest. He sprinted towards the last place he’d seen Vanitas. He leapt up onto a rock; someone had made a crater that had shoved the earth out of place, creating a ring of jagged stones. 

Vanitas stood within a ring of black fire. He was alone. The blond boy was gone. Cole straightened up, mentally gauging the distance between them. “Vani...!” If he could just reach him....

Vanitas’s head snapped towards him. There was blood running down one side of his face, streaming from a cut above his eye. His eyes went wide. He called out a warning. “Cole! Behind you!” 

Cole didn’t have time to turn around before something appeared on his chest, just at the edge of his vision. Cole looked down and saw a thin arrow shape sticking out of the center of his chest. No, the tip of a keyblade. No an arrow. The keyblade hadn’t gone through. Wouldn’t have... gone through. “Ouch...?” He blinked numbly at it. It didn’t hurt. He couldn’t feel it at all. He couldn’t feel his legs anymore either. His vision was swimming. His vision was blurring. Someone screamed. Maybe more than one someones. The world was blurring and fading, turning white. He slowly looked up, just barely able to make out Vanitas. Cole tried to reach for him; he couldn’t raise his arm. He focused on Vanitas’s face, just barely in focus. He looked so worried. He looked so horrified. He looked so angry. “Fuck....” The world was faded completely. Cole wasn’t in it anymore. 

 

Vanitas watched in absolute horror as Cole’s body flickered. A body made of light and darkness, when it disintegrated... he vanished into shards of light and ribbons of shadow. The diamond shaped arrow fell to the ground, impaling itself there on the rock. Vanitas stared at it for a long moment, then slid up to the cliffside behind it. A hooded figure stood there, his gun still raised. Vanitas felt something inside him snap. He stopped holding back. He hadn’t even realized he had been. 

**”XIGBAR!”**

Vanitas, drunk on emotion, tore his way through the enemies. He stopped thinking. Anything that got in his way had to die. He wanted Xigbar. He stopped thinking about which attacks did more damage to which enemies. There was power inside him and he used it. Darkness erupted around him, whipping out like extra blades. Enemies fell in swaths before him, creating a path that lead to the sniper. He had to die. Vanitas had to kill him. He had to die. 

Rage. Anger. Resentment. Pain. Agony. Hurt. Loss. Sorrow. Love. Emotion ran through his veins like a power source. Unversed didn’t form. He used up all their energy before they could even start to claw at the inside of his skin. A constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth fueled his attacks. He was absorbing more darkness from the enemies he cut down. 

Vanitas almost reached the cliff face when something slammed into his shoulder with enough force to knock him to the ground. A thin diamond shaped bolt stuck out of his shoulder. He tried to get up, but the bolt had him pinned. He tried to reach up to rip the bolt out, not even in pain. Another bolt caught the hand on his unwounded arm, then another skewered the hand on the injured one. His keyblade went skidding across the ground, far out of reach, even if his hands hadn’t been pinned to the ground. Vanitas roared, partly in pain, mostly in agony. He felt like he might shatter at any moment. 

For a moment he saw Xigbar leaning over the edge of the cliff, peering down at him. Then he disappeared beyond the edge. Vanitas felt himself shaking. Something raw and rabid shrieked in his chest, crying out for blood. He’d kill him. He had to kill him. He... he’d killed Cole. Cole was gone. Xigbar killed him. Vanitas pressed his face into the ground struggling uselessly against the bolts that held him still. 

The way Vanitas was laying, the way he was pinned to the ground, gave him a clear line of view of Sora. There weren’t any more enemies on the ground anymore. Someone else had finished them off. Vanitas was sure it probably hadn’t been him. There was just the funnel swarm of heartless. Vanitas focused on Sora. There was something inside him that tasted like death. He felt something about the same inside Sora, through a bond he still wasn’t sure he wasn’t imagining. Vanitas eventually felt himself still, trying to reach out. There was still a beast screaming for blood and killing inside him, but his mind was quiet. Maybe it was the shock setting in. 

Vanitas saw Sora running forward desperately, reaching out. The swarm of heartless had grabbed onto Kairi. Her head and arm just barely stuck out of the swarm. She reached out for him. He reached out for her. They missed. A fraction of a finger length. They missed by a fraction of a finger length. Kairi was swallowed up by the heartless storm. 

There was a beat of silence, Sora’s hand still raised in the air, then the silence broke. Sora let out a throaty scream and dropped his keyblade. He fell to his knees and slammed his fists into the ground. He was shaking. Riku ran to his side. Was it just them left...? Vanitas didn’t see anybody else. They were it. Riku and Sora.... Vanitas didn’t count. He was already as good as dead. 

Riku knelt next to Sora, raising his hand like he wanted to wrap his arms around Sora, to hug him close and keep him safe. But he hesitated. What could he do now? Sora looked up at him with tears streaming down his face. “It’s over.... There’s nothing- nothing we can do now.... We lost.... It’s over....” He hung his head. Vanitas could almost convince himself he felt Sora’s pain vibrating through a bond that connected them. It hurt. It hurt so much. 

“All my strength... my power came from them. Alone... I’m worthless.... I can’t do anything on my own....” Sora’s voice was fragile, like walking on cracked glass, a wrong movement would break the whole thing. Maybe it was broken already. 

Riku raised his hand again, but lowered it quickly, balling it into a fist. He stood up, his shoulders squared. “Sora... you don’t believe that. I know you don’t.” He turned on his heal and marched forward. Looking up ahead of him, Vanitas saw the storm of heartless moving towards him as one. The entire storm of heartless funneled into a single ribbon shape that swam through the air. It was enormous. There was no way Riku could beat it on his own. Probably not even with Sora’s help either. 

Riku drew his keyblade, dropping into a lower stance. Vanitas saw him take a deep breath and exhale. Just before the heartless reached him, he thrust his keyblade forward into the stream. Heartless parted before him, erupting into formless ribbons of darkness underneath a bright purple light. Vanitas was actually impressed. The heartless disintegrated under Riku’ light, most not even touching the ground before dissolving. Riku was practically vibrating with power and light. Then, a flicker of darkness. Vanitas watched as darkness slowly spread across Riku, first as flickers, then as ribbons, then as torrents. Something akin to dread settled in Vanitas’s stomach. This wasn’t an accident. Riku was doing that himself, tapping into his own heart’s darkness and using it to rip the heartless apart. His light wasn’t enough so he used his darkness to strengthen it, putting his whole being into his attack. He was strong, amazingly so. The only question was if he could outlast the heartless. 

He did. 

The last of the heartless storm disintegrated before he let his keyblade drop. Riku stood on unsteady feet, taking a few staggering steps before straightening up. He was breathing hard, and looked like he was about to pass out, but he stood his ground. He stood his ground even as his body flickered and faded. Vanitas saw Riku turn to give one last look at Sora. He saw him mouth Sora’s name as his form faded into nothing but a glimmer of light. Sora reached up and caught the spark, cradling it against his chest as he curled in on himself. 

Vanitas felt Sora’s heart wailing. It hurt. It hurt so much. 

_Gone. He’s gone...!_

Vanitas bit his lip so hard he felt it split between his teeth. Cole was gone. Ventus was gone. He was alone again. Except for Sora. 

A hooded figure appeared before Sora, standing over him. He looked so small, curled up in a ball, clutching at his heart. “All that effort...,” Xemnas said, looking down at Sora with an expression that was almost disgust. “All that effort and you were unneeded. We have our seven lights, slain by the darkness. You are now an extra piece, unneeded and worthless.” Sora didn’t even look up. Vanitas did. 

Kingdom Hearts covered the sky, bigger than any moon and glowing with a soft but strong light, almost painful to look at. Vanitas watched as Xehanort lifted his keyblade to the sky. The sky darkened to a midnight shade. The stars didn’t appear. Shadows crept over the heart shaped moon, slowly eating away at everything but the thinnest hint of an outline. Vanitas forced himself to look back at Sora. His heart was fading, the once welcoming light disappearing into nothingness. 

A void opened through Kingdom Hearts as it emptied. There was nothing left inside it. Emptiness consumed Kingdom Hearts. Darkness prevailed and Light expired. As it was foretold. It was over. They’d lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :}c Well Gee. That sucks.  
> X} Huehuehuehuehue~  
> I’m very much not sorry. 
> 
> But wait! Fic’s not done yet! I’ll start working on the next chapter soon~ (But I may do another chapter in my Roxas fic first.) So stay tuned! ;D
> 
> ALSO!! [Lookie What me friend did!!](https://mewhoismyself.tumblr.com/post/185124406954/fanart-of-cole-and-vanitas-from-your-fic-a-light)  
> And as always, I’d love to hear from y’all. So let me know what you think! Hearing people’s reactions always makes me more motivated >:3c


	23. The Final World and the Realm of Dreams

There was silence hanging in the air. It was a gentle silence, but at the same time, all consuming. He was floating, no, laying. He was laying on something that wasn’t quite there. He was falling. He was rising. He was... forming. There was something cool swaying underneath him. It felt like silk, with some kind of fluid layer underneath. There was light, all around him. It was a warm light, but a strong one. He could see it flickering through his eyelids. Something warm was collecting in his chest, spreading across his body. Maybe... making his body? His arms and fingers regained feeling, then his legs and feet. He felt his face twitch as the taste of something sweet coated his tongue. And, slowly, almost painfully slowly, his mind came into focus and he woke up. 

Cole’s eyes fluttered open to stare up at the sky, a nearly blinding crystalline blue with white streaks of cloud swimming through it. There wasn’t a sun. Everything was quiet, so very quiet and peaceful. Cole laid there for a long moment, then sat up and forced himself to his feet. He wasn’t in any hurry, but something was nagging at him, just out of reach. Under his feet he saw a near perfect mirror of the sky. He was standing on a vast ocean of sky, only the smallest ripples ran across its surface, emanating from his feet. He saw his own reflection underneath him. He ran a hand through his hair. Annoyingly that stupid lock of hair was sticking up funny, as all ways. 

Cole couldn’t quite remember how he’d gotten here; it certainly wasn’t any world he recognized. He was pretty sure he hadn’t left... that world. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but he was pretty sure he died. So where was this then? Inside Kingdom Hearts? A dream maybe? Maybe he was having one last surreal dream before he died for good. 

Cole stood there, unmoving as he watched the lazy drifting of the clouds. There was a long moment of just silence, a silence that seemed almost too empty. This was an empty world. There was nothing here. No people, no animals, no land, no plants... no hearts. Cole started to feel... incredibly lonely. What was he supposed to do now? There was nothing here, not even beyond where he could see. So this couldn’t be Kingdom Hearts. If it was there’d be other hearts here, other people at least. 

That thing he couldn’t remember was still nagging at him, making no small bit of panic rise higher and higher in his throat. He had to leave this place. He had somewhere else he knew he had to be. But... how could he leave? He didn’t know. He didn’t even know- “Where even am I...?” He wondered out loud, hearing his voice echo in the blank expanse. A small bead of defeat formed in his throat, tasting sour and stale. His heart started hurting. He was missing someone. 

“This is where hearts come when they pass on,” a soft voice said from behind him. Cole raised his head slightly in surprise. He turned around and saw a Chirithy standing behind him, looking a little bit shy. The Chirithy stared up at him, tilting their head. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

Cole knelt down so he was closer to the Chirithy. Something about them felt familiar, but he couldn’t quite remember. “Maybe.... You’re not my Chirithy though.” He smiled sadly. His heart was definitely aching now. A wielder without a Chirithy and a Chirithy without a wielder. How tragic. How lonely. 

Chirithy shook their head. “No. I’m not.” They looked down at the ground, staring at their reflection. “Sorry.”

Cole shook his head slightly. “You don’t need to apologize. But... what are you doing here all alone?”

Chirithy tilted their head, swaying from foot to foot. “I’m not quite alone. At least I wasn’t until a few moments ago, just before you arrived.” Chirithy fiddled with the pouch hanging around their neck. “This world was full and full of people until a few moments ago. But it disappeared. Everyone vanished all at once. Or maybe... not all at once, but very quickly. They all fell out of this world. But, somehow I was left behind. I suppose it’s because I’m not fully in this world yet.”

Cole tilted his head a little, chewing his lip. ‘Not fully in this world yet’? Cole thought for a long moment, then raised his head. “Hm... Chirithy...?” 

Chirithy tilted their head. “Hm?”

“Where’s your wielder? If the two of us have met before... I probably at least know who they are right?”

Chirithy shuffled their feet, looking down at their reflection. “Well... I suppose that’s right.... But... no no I’d better not say. He doesn’t remember the past.... Besides, he seems much happier with his new friends. I wouldn’t want to remind him of sadder times....”

Cole leaned forward, offering an upturned hand to the Chirithy. They gently placed their hand on his fingers. “I understand. You don’t want to make him upset. But wouldn’t he be more upset if he knew you were staying away from him just so he wouldn’t be upset?”

The Chirithy started and took a few steps backwards, holding their hands against their chest. They shook their head, but looked a little guilty at the same time. Cole smiled softly. “I’m sure he’d be glad to see you. I know I miss my Chirithy.” His smile changed into a sadder one. “The last thing I did... was yell at them. And now I can’t find them. I can’t call to them. I keep trying, but I don’t think they can hear me. I... I’m still a little angry... but I miss them even more. We are partners after all.” 

The Chirithy trotted a few steps forward, placing a gentle, comforting hand on Cole’s knee. “I’m sure that Chirithy misses you too.”

“And I’m sure your wielder misses you.” Cole smiled softly, patting the Chirithy’s head. He shifted slightly and sat down cross legged. After a moment, Chirithy laid their head on his knee. There was a long moment of silence. It was peaceful, but also a little bit sad. “So... what can we do now? I’m dead right?”

Chirithy nodded. “Yes, well, mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“Your heart still persists. In the world you left there’s a part of your heart that was left behind.” Chirithy tilted their head. “There’s something you still need to do, right? Something you need to protect?”

Cole blinked, then smiled. “Yeah.... Yeah there is.” 

Chirithy tapped their hand against the side of their head. “I think I know how you can go back. But... well it’s dangerous.... And rarely works. Hearts that pass on to this world rarely get to return, but... there are some exceptions....”

“I’ll try it.” Cole said quickly. “What do I do?”

Chirithy stared up at him for a long moment. “The realm of dreams borders the realms of light and darkness... and this world, the realm of death. If there’s any way to return to the realm of light, it’s through the realm of dreams. The edges of sleep and death touch, after all. Sometimes... it’s possible to cross over.”

Cole felt his smile growing bigger. “I think I can find my way back from the realm of dreams. I’ve done it before.”

Chirithy tilted their head. “Oh.... Yes I suppose you have. That’s where we- Umm.... nevermind.”

“Where we what?” Cole blinked, tilting his own head. 

“Umm...! No no! Nevermind.... It’s... it’s nothing important....”

“Is that where we met? In the realm of dreams?” Cole couldn’t help but smile. It felt so nice to talk to a Chirithy again, even if this one wasn’t his Chirithy. 

Chirithy covered their face with their hands. “Ohhh...! Ummm...!” They hung their head and sighed. “Yes.... That’s right....”

Cole patted Chirithy’s head. “It’s okay Chirithy.” He tilted his head a little. “That means your wielder is a dandelion right? So that means he’s okay.” 

Chirithy stared up at Cole for a long moment, then nodded. “Yes.” They seemed a little bashful, shuffling their feet. They hesitated for a long moment, then suddenly said, “We should go. Er- you... you should go.” 

Cole slowly stood up. He looked down at Chirithy. A twinge of... longing maybe... ran through his heart. “Are you coming with me...?”

Chirithy shook their head. “No.... I’ll wait here. He’ll arrive here someday.” They smiled up at Cole, giving him a small wave. “Have a safe trip...!”

Cole nodded, smiling despite how much he hated to leave Chirithy alone. It felt like he was abandoning them. “Thanks.” He summoned Dancing Moonlight to his hand. He called for a portal, and one appeared. The nagging feeling in his chest became a tugging, which quickly grew into a pulling. He stepped through the portal and fell into the realm of dreams. 

“May your heart be your guiding key....”

 

Darkness, a solid fog of darkness, swirled around him. Cole felt it clinging to his clothes and skin, flowing around him like molasses as he slipped deeper and deeper into dreams. He closed his eyes and let his heart guide him. The realm of dreams was massive, probably the biggest realm, or maybe the second biggest, after death. He didn’t like his chances of finding a way out on pure luck alone. 

Cole felt himself falling, or rather... descending. His heart pulled him towards something. What it was, he didn’t know. Cole felt his body turning over, twisting like he was swimming underwater, so he was falling feet first towards something. He landed on his feet, bending in a deep crouch like he was moving through thick fluid rather than air. The landing was softer than he expecting, but this was a world made of dreams, so there really wasn’t too much surprise there. 

Cole opened his eyes, and straightened up. He was standing on a circular platform covered in some kind of liquid. It looked like two colors of ink, a pure white and a deep black, bleeding into each other, but refusing to, or incapable of mixing together. The two inks spread across the platform, each apparently trying to reach towards the source of the other. Tendrils of each color reached into the other, but made no progress to consume their opposing color. Cole stood between the two, straddling a collision between them. His right foot stood in black, and his left stood in white. The tendrils of ink curled like they were trying to grab onto him, but nothing actually did. 

Cole felt something calling him. Two somethings. There was a heart buried in each color of ink. They were both in pain, calling out for destruction, but couldn’t claim it. Cole looked between them. The heart in the white ink was looking for death. It had given up, been hurt too badly too many times. The heart in the black ink was begging for death. It was far too broken, shattered almost beyond repair. They were both drowning in guilt and despair, but different kinds. Cole could feel the emotions radiating from the dual hearts, almost too thick to breathe through. 

Cole decided that if this was the place his heart had led him, in the vast expanse of the realm of dreams, this was where he was needed first. He decided the heart in the white ink needed help first. He felt it fading more and more by the moment. Its wounds were too much to bear. 

Cole stepped into the white ink, then paused. He turned back to the heart in the black ink. “I’ll be right back for you. Just hold on a little longer,” he said softly. The heart stirred ever so slightly, then settled down a tiny bit. It seemed... less self destructive than before, if only slightly. Cole got the feeling that it would wait for him. That one was the one that could. 

Cole walked further into the pool of white ink. Every step he took seemed to take him into a different place. It almost felt like the white ink was creating a world around him as he went deeper. It wasn’t rising, and he wasn’t sinking into it. But the white ink surrounded him, below, around, and above. He couldn’t see the black ink anymore. There was just a blank white space all around him. It felt empty, but not as much as the empty world of death. This world was empty, but it was meant to be. It was smaller, and had never been filled. Cole kept walking, letting his heart lead him. Step by step, the ink seemed to become more solid, until his feet met solid ground instead of fluid. 

Eventually he found the heart drowning in the blank white nothing. Cole stared down at Sora. He was on his knees, curled in on himself with his hands clutched against his chest, over his heart, and his forehead pressed against the ground. He looked broken. His heart radiated something painfully sad. Grief. Guilt. Loss. Pain. The emotions radiating off him were practically tangible. Cole came to a stop a few feet in front of him. 

“Sora...?”

“I failed.” Sora’s voice seemed to echo around him, not come from him. His heart was speaking. Raw and painful, his heart was speaking for him. It rang out like the chime of an old bell, dipped in mourning and almost too fragile for what it was. Instead of metal, instead of a voice full of excitement and love, Sora’s heart rang like a bell made of glass. “Kingdom Hearts... is gone. I failed. It’s over. Everyone else is gone. They’re all gone.”

Cole felt his own heart shudder against his ribcage as pain and regret radiated out from Sora. He could practically taste the emotions trying to crawl down his throat. It hurt just standing this close to Sora. But Cole got the feeling that, if left alone much longer, Sora’s heart would rip itself apart. He couldn’t let that happen. Sora was... he didn’t deserve that. 

“Kingdom Hearts is broken. It’s all my fault. It’s broken beyond repair. I failed. Alone... I’m worthless. Everyone else is gone. I’m worthless.”

“That’s not true. Not at all.” Cole stared down at Sora, a feeling of determination building in his chest. Seeing Sora like this felt wrong. Cole didn’t really know him that well, but something about how he was now felt so fundamentally wrong. “You’re not worthless.”

Sora curled in on himself a little more. “It /is/ true. My friends were my power. And now... they’re all gone.”

Cole tilted his head a little. That phrase sounded familiar... but the meaning was completely twisted. “Your friends are your power...? Sora... you’re not strong because you fight with them... or because they fight with you....” He knelt down, tilting his head to try to look at Sora’s face. “You’re strong because you fight /for/ them. You have something to fight for, that makes you stronger. The hearts connected to yours make you stronger because you care about them and they care about you. And of course you’re stronger when you fight with them. But they’re also stronger because they fight with you. You and your friends... you make each other stronger.”

Sora’s head raised a little bit, now staring at the ground instead of his knees. He was listening. Cole smiled a little more. “You’re amazing Sora. Your heart makes connections so easily. I’m actually a little jealous. Do you know how many people your heart’s connected to? Because I’ll bet it’s a lot.”

Sora sat up slowly, pushing himself up. He sat back on his legs, raising his head to stare blankly up at Cole. “I... I can’t think of any...-“ He sounded defeated, but less broken. 

Cole tilted his head, feeling a smile spread across his face. Yes. Progress. “I can help.” He stood up, tilting his head and tapping his finger against his lips. “Actually, this could help with the other problem too.”

Sora stared up at him blankly. Poor guy. His heart was really hurt wasn’t it? Cole drew a heart shape with his fingers. “Well, Kingdom Hearts is just a giant collection of hearts right? So it stands to reason that we can make another one. Or at least make a smaller version.”

Sora tilted his head. “Make another... Kingdom Hearts...?”

Cole smiled down at him. “When the kingdom’s castle falls, you make a new one, right? Look at all the hearts connected to yours, and make a new kingdom of hearts. Worth a shot right?”

Sora didn’t respond. 

Cole hummed, chewing his lip. “Well... I know we haven’t known each other for that long, but I’m pretty sure our hearts are already connected. My heart did lead me to yours after all.” A circle of glowing white light appeared around Cole. A line shot off of it and connected to one around Sora. His didn’t look like a circle though, it looked like a rectangle, but Cole couldn’t quite see all of it. Cole tilted his head and smiled a little wider, pointing down at the connection between them. “Well, would you look at that...?”

Sora stared down at the line in the blank space. He didn’t move other than that. Cole thought for a moment. “Now... who are we both connected to...?” Before he could even think of an answer, two more circles formed between them, off to either side, tracing out their lines in light. The new hearts both connected to Cole and to Sora, and to each other in a diamond shape with a cross through its center. Well alright then! So they didn’t even need to think of who they were connected to, their hearts filled in what they knew automatically. That was helpful. 

Cole looked up to see Vanitas’s form standing in one of the circles. He didn’t seem to notice Cole or Sora, or the other boy. He stared straight ahead with his hand shoved in his pocket and a small scowl on his lips. Cole felt his heart ache a little when he saw him. He wished they were back together, safe and warm. But he didn’t regret coming to help. He couldn’t. 

Cole glanced over to the other boy. He had blond hair that spiked up on one side and...- “Ven...?!” Cole gaped at the blond boy. That... certainly looked like Ven. He looked several years older than the last time Cole had seen him, since he’d gone missing. But... yeah. That was Ven. Not missing any more, /apparently/! Cole gaped at him for a long moment, then glowered down at the glowing line that connected Vanitas and Ven. He narrowed his eyes at Vanitas, pointing down at the connection between him and Ven. “We will be discussing this later....” Oh the discussion they were going to have.... But, priorities. Helping Sora beat out griping at Vanitas. 

Cole took a deep breath and looked back at Sora, who was staring up at Ven with a pained look on his face. He didn’t seem to have noticed Cole’s little... crisis. Cole hummed softly. “Sora.” Sora looked back at him. “You know... it’s easy to feel alone when we can’t see every single heart that’s tied to ours. But through others, we can be connected to people we’ve never even met. And they can give us strength too. The bonds between hearts... they’re this giant web that stretches further than we first think, but always leads back to us, back to you.” He smiled gently at Sora. “If we’re rebuilding a kingdom, let’s start with four.” He gestured to the four of them, Vanitas, Sora, Ven, and himself. “And we’ll work our way out from here.” Then he gestured at Ven with a nod and a smirk. “Who’s Ven connected to?”

Sora stared at Ven for a long time. “I... I don’t know...,” he choked. Cole was sure he saw tears welling in his eyes. His heart was still broken, believing he was alone. Well, one way to fix that....

“Well, I have a few names for you.” Cole smirked, putting a hand on his hip and counting off names with his other one. “Ephemer. Skuld. Lauriam. Blane. And... well, the rest of the dandelions.” Almost instantly, the other leaders appeared at Ven’s side. Then dozens, no, hundreds of other hearts formed behind them, creating a giant web of hearts and connections. While it did look really lopsided, their kingdom of hearts was building itself far faster than Sora probably could believe. 

Cole saw Sora slowly rise to his feet, staring across the sea of dandelions, hundreds of hearts all connected to his through just one person that he knew. His mouth was open slightly, and his eyes were open wide. He was probably in awe. So many hearts he’d never even met were right there, connected to him. They gave him strength. 

Cole smiled. “Ready to keep going?” Sora looked back at him, suddenly with a light glittering in his eyes. He nodded. “So, anyone else Ven is connected to?”

Sora stared at Ven for a moment, then he gasped with realization. “Aqua...! And Terra!” Two more hearts appeared. Cole recognized the woman with blue hair from the Keyblade Graveyard. He didn’t recognize the tall, burly man though. He saw Sora smile a little more. He seemed more present, more stable. 

“And who are they connected to?” He asked, tilting his head. Sora paused, seemingly unsure. But the connections formed anyways. Another heart appeared, connected to Terra, Aqua, and Ven, but Cole didn’t recognize the older man. Riku and Kairi appeared next, Riku connected to Terra and Kairi to Aqua.

Sora stared at Riku and Kairi, with a mixture of awe and pain. “Riku and Kairi are connected to me...,” he breathed, almost unbelieving. “Back to me....” The connections formed, leading the web back to Sora. Cole glanced down at Sora’s feet. He could see the rest of the shape now that Sora had stood up. His heart wasn’t in a circle, or a rectangle. It was a crown shape, the same as his necklace. Cole smiled a little more. That was fitting; he was the king of this kingdom. This was Sora’s kingdom of hearts. 

“And who are you connected to?” Cole asked, mentally preparing the names of the other Guardians of Light in case Sora needed help. 

He didn’t. “Roxas.... And he’s connected to Axel....” A blond boy who looked eerily similar to Ven appeared, dressed in a long black coat. Lea appeared beside him, hands tucked behind his head. “And they’re both connected to... Xion...!” Sora gasped the name like he’d just remembered the name of a long forgotten friend. A girl in a black coat appeared, connections forming between her, not Ven, and Lea who was apparently also Axel. A connection formed between her and Sora. Other connections started forming on their own as each heart started to fill in its own connections. 

A group of people started branching off from Roxas, off to one side. “Hayner, Pence, Olette... and Seifer and his friends....” A few more spread out from Lea. Sora stood still, breathlessly watching the web of hearts form before him. Cole was pretty sure he was the edges of a grin wrapped around Sora’s head as Sora named more connected hearts. “Leon and the restoration committee, Cloud and Tifa too!” About a dozen people sprung up in a tight circle, connections binding almost all of them to almost everyone else. 

Cole was almost overwhelmed with how many hearts were forming. That was incredible. He saw some faces he recognized, Snow White, Aurora, and the other precious lights he’d met so very long ago. Hercules was there too. For a moment Cole thought he saw a merperson or three, but they were quickly obscured in the crowd. 

Sora suddenly got very quiet, even as more connections formed by the moment. “Donald... and Goofy. They’re connected to me.” The duck and dog person formed, smiling at Sora with kindness in their eyes, or in Goofy’s eyes at least. Donald looked like someone ate his last piece of cake. Then again, he usually looked like that as far as Cole could tell. “And they’re connected to the king. And he’s connected to Riku. And... he’s connected to me.... They’re... they’re all connected to me... my heart....”

Slowly Sora turned back to him, eyes shining with a powerful light. He stared at Cole for a minute, then down at his feet. “Where are the people connected to your heart...?” 

Cole looked down, feeling a familiar absence shudder through his heart. He saw a few dark lines connected to one side of his circle, leading away from Sora’s expansive web. Cole looked behind him, seeing something in a grey space he hadn’t even realized was behind him. It was like a cast shadow, if only a half hearted one. It wasn’t the color of shadows, a shady grey at most. Five hearts stood closest to him, with a few more that faded into the grey distance. Stella, Haley, Apollo, Grace, and Eddie; Cole saw their hearts hovering behind him, darkened by death. The connections were still there, still strong and giving him his own power. But....

Cole turned back to Sora, smiling softly, sadly. “I’m still working on rebuilding my kingdom. But you’ve certainly helped.” He gestured towards Ven and Vanitas. “I’ll start with four.”

Sora took a step towards him, then another, then another. Sora wrapped his arms around Cole, squeezing him tightly. Cole felt his eyes starting to sting. He hugged him back. Sora was warm, almost as warm as Vanitas. “Thanks....” Sora took a step back, looking up at him. “I think it’s time for you to wake up now.” Cole smiled softly. “Go save the world, Hero. You’re more than strong enough.” He flashed a grin and offered a playful wink. 

Sora gave a determined nod and grinned. The blank world started fading, slowly returning Cole to the platform surrounded by black fog. Sora said something Cole couldn’t quite hear. But somehow he understood. 

“See you soon,” Sora said as he faded, as he woke up. 

Cole stared up at the place where Sora had been standing a moment ago. “May your heart be your guiding key....” He smiled a little to himself. 

 

Pain. His arm was actually in pain now. The bolts shot through him stung every time his heart beat. He couldn’t move anymore, not even to struggle. He was too tired, defeated. That hurt more than the arrows. The barest hints of unversed slithered through his veins, uselessly trying to coax the arrows out. But he was numb, too numb to let any true emotion form. There was nothing he could do anymore. Even if he tore out the arrows that pinned him to the ground, he didn’t have the will to fight anymore. 

Sora was still kneeling on the ground in his line of vision. He hadn’t moved since Riku’s heart died in his hands. His heart was growing fainter by the second. Vanitas wasn’t sure which of them was keeping the other from fading completely, maybe neither of them. 

Kingdom Hearts hung over them, huge and broken and empty. Xehanort was probably gloating, or reveling in his easy victory, just out of view. Vanitas hated the taste that left in his mouth. So he tried not to think about it. None of the Seekers even had to fight. He tried not to think about it. He was probably going to die soon, just as soon as Xehanort remembered he and Sora were still alive, even though they were beaten. He didn’t mind thinking about that. Even from the moment of his creation, he knew he’d been labeled for destruction. 

He wondered if death would hurt as much as losing. He wondered what afterlife existed now, now that Kingdom Hearts was gone. Would he even get an afterlife? He wasn’t a full heart. Did that warrant an afterlife? It didn’t even warrant an existence, so probably not. Maybe he’d just fade into oblivion. That might hurt less, to just... not exist. 

He wanted to see Cole again though. He wanted to see him smile and play with his hair. He wanted to crawl on top of him, feel how warm he was, feel his warm heart. He never expected life to be fair, especially for him, but Vanitas silently cursed the unfairness of it all. Fighting a war where it was already decided that they were going to lose before it even started. He remembered the mantra, that old prophesy Xehanort kept repeating. 

“And so, as foretold... darkness prevailed... and light expired.” 

Then light returned. 

Vanitas squeezed his eyes shut against the sudden, massive burst of light that exploded out from Sora. It burned his eyes through his eyelids, leaving him seeing spots. But the light also burned away the arrows and revived his energy. Vanitas rolled onto his side, pushing himself to his knees, ignoring the pain. He squinted against the light, now only slightly dimmer. And he saw Sora. 

Sora was shining with an almost impossible amount of light. His heart alone couldn’t manage that, nobody’s could. This wasn’t like the hearts of pure light that the princesses of heart had, this was light that was just too great for one heart to hold. The light was almost tangible, practically dripping off of Sora like liquid silver. A sigil of a heart was carved into Sora’s back, glowing slightly bluer than the rest of him. And, with a slightly darker hue, a grey, a dark silver, the sigil of a crown burned above the heart, mirroring the crown shaped necklace that rested at the base of his neck. 

Sora shifted, slowly dragging his foot up to stand on it. He pushed himself up, eyes fixed upwards, on Xehanort and the Seekers of Darkness. Vanitas gaped at him, watching as Sora pulled himself from the brink of destruction to his feet, standing defiantly before Xehanort.

Sora was on his feet again, staring up at the Seekers of Darkness with blinding light radiating off of him. He summoned his keyblade to his hand. It appeared in a flash of light that was practically a shadow compared to the light dripping off the rest of him. 

Vanitas forced himself to his feet, summoning his keyblade. If Sora could get up, so could he. Vanitas decided then, if he was going to die, he was going to die fighting. Dark Heart came to him, the grip stinging against the hole in his hand. He ignored it. He watched the Seekers return to the cliff edge, staring down at Sora as he stared back at them. Sora held his keyblade in front of him, aimed directly at Xehanort. 

Vanitas expected some kind of dramatic speech, something to strike terror into the Seeker’s hearts. But instead Sora charged into battle by saying. “Now.... Give me back my friends!” Vanitas guessed that worked too. He took a step forward, but froze. Something was happening, something powerful. 

The world shimmered like he was looking through heat rising from a fire. Except the ground was shaking too, changing, morphing, /waking/. The cliff faces started crumbling, sending several Seekers plummeting to the ground below. They landed just fine, of course. But they were face to face with Sora now, which was probably absolutely terrifying. Vanitas smirked. Sucks to be them. 

But Sora didn’t attack them. He didn’t even seem to notice them. Instead, he held out his keyblade and something changed. Heartless started reappearing, nobodies and unversed too. They reformed out of debris, stitching themselves together piece by piece. There were more than before, maybe twice as many, three, four times as many. Vanitas raised his keyblade, ready to fight. 

But, at the same time, a little over half a dozen pools of shadow formed on the ground. They writhed and wailed until, from the pool nearest Sora, directly at his feet, a hand burst forth. A human hand, raised at the sky, clasping and reaching. Then a head emerged, silver hair dripping with shadows. Riku slowly pulled himself up out of the shadows, gasping and panting as the light in his heart grew stronger by the moment. And, all around them, from the other pools of shadow, the other guardians of light pulled them self free. The princess of light, the redhead who used fire, Aqua, Ventus... the three animals. 

But not Cole. He wasn’t taken by the heartless. He didn’t come back. Vanitas felt something bitter and awful coat his tongue. 

“If you abuse the power of waking like that...!” A familiar voice called down at them. Vanitas recognized it as the Xehanort from the most distant past, before he’d even been trained on how to use a keyblade. “All that awaits for you is destruction! It is an abyss you can never escape.” 

Vanitas very much wanted to smack him with his keyblade and tell him to shut up. But Sora did it for him. Partially. The blinding light had faded by now, disappearing into his heart. Vanitas could still see it though, radiating through his heart and into the others. It even radiated into him, through their connection. “Xehanort. I won’t disappear. My friends are my power, because I fight for them. And they fight for me. We have something to protect. So we can’t afford to lose.” 

Sora raised his keyblade and charged into battle. The rest of them followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada~ New chapter! I’m getting quicker at this. :}c
> 
> Also~ Mwahahahaha. I am very happy and excited cuz I’ve been /waiting forever/ to write this part! The ‘make your own kingdom’ bit (with Sora being all epic and stuff) was one of the scenes I was preparing for since the early chapters!!! >:D It’s so nice when foreshadowing finally gets to pay off! 
> 
> And hmmmm~ some unanswered questions here. :>c I know some of y’all have been wondering where Cole’s Chirithy is. I remember a couple people wondering if they were chilling with Ven’s Chirithy in the Final World, but sadly, no reunion quite yet~ :3c 
> 
> (Though I do know exactaly where Cole’s Chirithy is and I’m not telling~! >:Dc )
> 
> Also, Imma update the fic’s description too one of these days. =,=‘


	24. The Keyblade Graveyard and the Dark Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Waning ish*  
> Tiny spoiler for the KH3 DLC trailer. 
> 
> It has given me lore ideas. Heeheeheehee. >:}

The heartless fell easier this time. Vanitas noticed that as he cut straight through a large beast like heartless in a single strike. They fell so quickly and easily Vanitas wasn’t sure if they were actually there. They felt like nothing more than shadows. At least until one of them got a lucky shot and nicked his leg. He ignored the injury and jumped at another heartless. 

There was something hanging in the air, it felt strange, almost uplifting, nothing like the thick and sluggish air of darkness. It was light and airy. Oh. Of course. It was light. Vanitas could feel it wafting across his skin, giving him an energy that burned from deep inside him. He allowed himself a quick glance around the battlefield, until his eyes settled on Sora. He was carving his way through the darkness without even swinging his keyblade. The heartless simply evaporated when they came near him, almost like the princess of heart. Sora was radiating such pure light, sending smaller portions to all his allies through his heart. Vanitas felt himself smirk. The brat was actually impressive after all. He spun around and cut through a cluster of heartless, then ran his keyblade through a giant darkside heartless. 

When that one burst, dissipating into a cloud of smoke, Vanitas found himself face to face with Aqua. Her eyes found him and she froze, sparks of magic from her last attack still flickering around her. For a brief moment, Aqua looked like she was debating on whether or not to strike him down. Then, she spun and threw her keyblade towards him. Vanitas flinched reflexively. His body not quite responding. But her keyblade flew past him and shredded a large heartless that had snuck up behind him. Aqua held her hand up and caught her keyblade as it flew back to her. She stared him dead in the eyes, then turned and dashed away, disappearing into the swarm of heartless. The message was clear. ‘I haven’t forgiven you, but I trust you. Enough.’ Vanitas was appreciative of that at least. Fighting a keyblade Master right this very moment didn’t sound very enjoyable... or smart. Vanitas charged a spell in the teeth of his keyblade and headed in the direction away from Aqua. He didn’t feel like pushing his luck. But the thought about fighting her again... that stuck in his mind. 

Fighting came naturally to him. For a time that had been his purpose; fight to get stronger, fight to survive, fight to please his Master. _Jump, slash, land, swipe, dodge, sever, block._ For a time, all Vanitas had known was fighting. _Fighting his unversed, fighting his master, fighting the heartless his master summoned. Wave after wave, there was no way he could win. As soon as one wave was gone, another appeared to replace it. He’d fight until he was too weak to anymore. He’d fight until he was so exhausted that his body was in danger of dissipating, just barely avoiding sinking into the darkness like the half heartless monster he was. Sometimes one or both of his legs would dissipate underneath him._

The number of heartless was decreasing. There were noticeably less than before. That was amazing. They were doing amazing. He had to actually move to reach more heartless now. They no longer coated the ground like a blanket. 

Vanitas looked up as a pillar of flame erupted from not too far away. He heard the red head cursing rather colorfully. He was L-something right? Vanitas made his way over to where he was. He saw a massive area cleared of heartless and the redhead kneeling down in the center of it. His keyblade was gone. Two Seekers stood over him, one was obviously Siax, with his long blue hair and the nasty looking scar across his face. It was more prominent now, he’d been using his power. Vanitas narrowed his eyes as a wave of bitterness rolled over his tongue. He remembered the beating he’d taken from Siax during training. They hadn’t seen him yet, which was probably a good thing. 

A sudden, sharp pain cut across Vanitas’s back. Well that caught his attention. Vanitas yelped as he whipped around. A heartless stood behind him, blood dripping from its claws. It stared at the blood curiously, then took another swing, this time at his stomach. Vanitas jumped back, slipping into the shadows mostly on instinct. 

He hovered there, just beneath the darkness that permitted everything. The heartless couldn’t reach him here, they weren’t that accurate when traveling through shadow. Vanitas couldn’t move of course, not without using a corridor, but he took a few moments to catch his breath, take stock of his wounds, watch the confrontation unfolding before him. He hadn’t seen what the red head could do. And something about Siax seemed off from how he remembered him. 

Lea, that was his name, kept trying to stand, but only ever made it to one knee before Siax knocked him down again. “Submit,” Siax commanded. “You’ve already lost.” He held his claymore tightly in his hand, but he wasn’t channeling magic into it. Interesting. 

Vanitas heard Lea chuckling, softly at first, then louder by the moment. He looked up at Siax, a wide grin plastered onto his face. “Not a chance in Hell, Isa.”

Siax narrowed his eyes at Lea, then abruptly spun around, his black coat flaring as he strode away. “Then I am finished with you.” He turned to the still hooded figure, looking down at them. “Kill him.”

As the hooded figure strode forward towards Lea, Vanitas gathered himself up, preparing himself to leap out of the shadows for a surprise attack. But he paused when the hooded figure stopped almost mid-step, several feet away from Lea. They turned their head towards Vanitas ever so slightly, seemingly staring right at him. Vanitas felt something strange rising up inside him, a kind of familiarity. But... why?

The figure pulled back their hood, revealing black hair that hung down to her jawline. Who was that? He had to know her.... A keyblade appeared in her hand, the Kingdom Key.... Vanitas’s eyes widened. She... she was connected to Sora. She was-....

She leveled her keyblade, Sora’s keyblade, at Lea’s chest. He stared up at her, clutching at his chest like his heart was hurting him. “Who-,” he choked out. “Who are you...? I... I know you-....” He sounded like he was in pain. Vanitas thought he saw tears running down his cheeks. The girl took a step forward, eyes fixed on Lea’s face. She was biting her lip. Hard. Her eyes were bright, but dead set, almost conflicted. 

Vanitas gathered himself again, feeling something building in his chest, his heart. He had to get out there and do... something...! But Sora beat him to it. Sora walked towards her, passing Vanitas without even noticing him. When had he gotten so close? “You don’t have to do that.” He walked towards her calmly, the aura of light still radiating around him like a halo. Instead of casting a shadow, he cast light on the ground below him. 

The girl looked up at him, shaking her head. She looked down at Lea with a fire in her eyes. Her mouth opened and closed silently. She shook her head again. “It’s okay,” Sora said, walking closer, step by step. “You don’t have to do this.”

She shook her head, eyes fixed on Lea’s. He stared back up at her. Vanitas felt like something in his chest was going to split open. Something was screaming, clawing desperately, trying to get out, to reach out. Or maybe... those were echos coming from Sora’s heart, reverberating through their connection. Vanitas shook his head. No, that was stupid. He couldn’t be feeling what Sora was. They didn’t have that kind of a connection. But... he didn’t even convince himself with that. 

The girl was shaking now. She looked between Sora and Lea, eyes wild and unsure. Something was so very close to breaking, Vanitas could feel it. “I-“ Her voice cracked and cut itself off. 

Siax stepped forward. “Stop stalling. Finish him or be destroyed with him.” He sounded angry, beyond angry. Vanitas recognized several familiar emotions in his voice, ones he knew quite well. Rage, fear, pain. He was definitely missing something, something that involved the three of them. Or... four.... The struggling in his, in Sora’s heart was less wild now, but almost free. Another moment and it would-....

Lea raised his hand and gently placed it on the teeth of her keyblade, pulling in down ever so gently. “It’s alright. You don’t have to fight anymore....”

Sora held out his free hand, his keyblade hanging loosely at his side. “It’s okay. You don’t have to do this again....”

“Xion...,” they said in unison. 

Vanitas almost gasped in pain as a flood of memories returned to him, half glimpsed images that were more dream than memory. Xion, that was her name! Vanitas knew he knew her! He’d slept through that, he’d been buried within Sora’s heart. He’d only seen her in his dreams, through others’ eyes. But she was one of the hearts connected to Sora’s, one of the ones entangled with him. 

Lea smiled softly up at her, tears streaming down his face. Sora’s voice sounded strange in that moment, when he’d said her name. And he slumped ever so slightly, then straightened up in an instant, almost looking confused. Xion let her keyblade slip from her fingers. It dissipated as it hit the ground. She fell to her knees, practically throwing herself at Lea. She sobbed loudly, crying into his shoulder. 

Lea wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back. “Xion, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I forgot you. Xion, Xion I’m so so sorry.”

She shook her head, clinging to his coat like he’d disappear if she didn’t. “It’s not your fault.... It’s not, Axel. It’s not your fault.”

A wave of darkness caught Vanitas’s attention. Siax was shaking, his fists and his jaw clenched. His eyes were fixed on Xion and Lea. Darkness spread around him as his scar opened more. His eyes caught the light in a way that gave them a solid gold color and blue magic flickered through his hair. His claymore came to life as he shoved darkness and magic into it. Siax hefted it above his head and charged at them. 

Vanitas watched in mild horror as Siax swung his claymore at Axel and Xion, aiming at their heads. Sora reacted too late to stop it, reaching out desperately, trying to hook his keyblade’s teeth over the claymore’s blade. But he missed it by a hair’s breath. Vanitas felt his heart seize. He didn’t want to watch more people die today. There was a pulling in his chest, a desire that was on the tip of his tongue. 

Then the light fell from the sky like a meteor, crashing down to the ground in front of the claymore’s path. Dust flew up in a cloud, billowing like the arms of a living thing. The claymore stopped, and Siax along with it. Siax snarled, trying to press his claymore into and through the thing blocking it. But he got nowhere. 

When the dust settled, a figure wearing a black coat, an organization coat, stood in front of Siax, their weapon blocking his. Siax leapt back as the new comer pressed him, taking a swing at his head with a second weapon. Siax landed in a crouch, his magic fueled state fading until he was himself again. 

Lea gasped softly. “Is that...?” Xion turned her head, still clinging to Lea. Sora grinned widely, tilting his head and looking proud. 

The figure tossed back their hood with one hand, glancing back at Lea and Xion. A blond boy, who looked very much like Ventus, flashed them a grin, then turned back to stare down Siax. “Hands off my friends,” Roxas said, raising his keyblades. 

Vanitas smirked. He remembered Roxas. He was strong. Vanitas actually liked him. He watched as Roxas and Siax charged at each other, weapons drawn. Xion stood up as well, summoning her keyblade back to her hand. Vanitas figured this fight was probably a long time coming and pretty cathartic. So he slipped out from the shadows, stabbing the heartless that had been lying in wait for him, and slipped away. He saw Sora retreating as well, apparently he’d figured the same thing. Xion and Roxas, they didn’t need any help, nor would they want it. 

Vanitas charged towards a large heartless, charging a spell in his keyblade’s teeth. He leapt into the air. He spun around, unleashing a dark blade of magic at the heartless like a whip. The heartless shrieked, turning around to stare down at him. Vanitas felt something shift in his chest, coiling away from the heartless. That attack had shredded the last heartless he’d used it on. Was he getting weaker? Tired?

Vanitas looked down at his hands, noticing the soft airy feeling fading from around him. The overwhelming light was fading, giving was to a neutral air as the darkness crept in. Vanitas started, then dove out of the way just before the heartless’s giant fist slammed down where he’d been standing. 

He glanced up at the cliff Master Xehanort was standing on. He held the X-blade, calling the darkness. So, their advantage was gone, but the heartless weren’t nearly as numerous as before. An even playing field, what better odds could they ask for? Vanitas felt his lips twist into a wicked grin. He’d spent his life fighting an uphill battle, struggling against the forces of the worlds that threatened to pull him apart at the seams at every moment of every day, an even playing field was more than he’d ever had before. This would be easy in comparison. 

 

Cole’s eyes flickered open, once again staring out at the black fog that surrounded the ink covered platform. He was laying flat on his back, feeling like he’d got the wind knocked out of him. It felt like something had dropped him from high up. His back hurt, stinging and aching in some kind of pattern. He must have hit some kind of design under the ink, etched into the platform. 

Cole forced himself to his feet, biting his lip to suppress a groan as the muscles in his back pulled at the mark. He swayed on his feet, feeling unsteady and a little dizzy. There were spots dancing in his eyes. Going from Sora’s bright world of connections and light back to this world of dark, foggy air was certainly disorienting. He rubbed at his eyes, biting back a series of discontent grumbles. 

Cole felt something running down his arms, soaking into the sleeves of his hoodie. He blinked at his hands, seeing a silvery grey ink dripping from his fingers, and tracing lines down his arms. And below him too, at his feet, a pool of silvery grey ink was slowly spreading out, consuming the white ink as it went. 

Cole flicked the ink off his hands, wiped them off on his pants, and rubbed at his eyes again, just to make sure he didn’t get any ink in his eyes. That would probably hurt, first of all. Cole looked up just as the grey ink met the black ink, consuming the last of the white ink. The black ink seemed to shy away from the grey at first, almost like it was actually alive. Then, just like it had with the white ink, the black started encroaching on its space, reaching into the ink with tendrils of blackness. 

Cole tilted his head, narrowing his eyes and looking deeper into the ink to see the heart hidden there. It seemed sadder than before. It had less fight in it. It was giving up. Cole felt his own heart ache as his body started moving forward of its own volition. He didn’t try to stop himself of course. But he did hesitate a moment before he stepped onto the black ink. Was the grey ink coming from him? If it was, what would happen if he stepped into the black ink? Would he hurt it? Hurt the heart in it? Would it overtake the entire platform? That was probably a bad thing. 

Cole forced himself to take a deep breath, then step over the divide and into the black ink. He looked down at his feet, then back at the grey ink. Nothing changed. Well... that was a relief, several in fact. Cole turned back and looked ahead, slowly walking towards the heart in the black ink. 

As he got closer, step by step, Cole kept a steady pace as the world around him slowly closed in. Or seemed to at least. Just like the white space, the black ink seemed to create a world around him as he got closer and closer to the heart that dwelled within it. But instead of an empty, blank world, this world of darkness was filled. There was substance here, an endless expanse of creation and destruction. Something that looked like a fallen tree appeared before Cole, at knee height, almost tripping him, but it disappeared just as quickly. The landscape changed too, a hill rose before him, climbing steeply, then suddenly dropping back to flat ground. Cole held his hands out, trying to balance himself as the ground split apart, forming a stream between his feet. 

At least he could see everything. There was different colors of darkness, different shades, an endless void, a dusty ash, a midnight sky, and every so often, soft purple lights appeared, woven within the layers of darkness. Everything looked like it was made out of layers and layers of silk, but dissolved and dissipated like incense smoke. Cole tried to pass his hand through a branch that appeared above his head, but found it just as solid and textured as a real tree branch. 

He kept his course though, letting his heart guide him through the twisting, ever changing maze. The heart hidden up ahead was in pain, so he had to help. That was the role of a keyblade wielder, wasn’t it? 

The world changed less as he got closer to the heart, which made navigating many times easier. Rocks and ground stopped dissolving under his feet, or appearing and shoving him upwards. Those made him feel like he was trying to use a mechanical bull as a balance beam. Branches and shrubs stopped appearing in front of his knees, nearly tripping him each time he tried to take a step. That was appreciated at the very least. But the walls seemed to be closing in, or at least, he saw one appear in front of him out of the gloom. Cole’s fingertips found a cliff face. It was a smooth rock, either smoothed by wind or water. Something was vibrating the air around it, a sound that Cole couldn’t hear. It was rhythmic and powerful, he could feel it vibrating through the rock. He trailed his fingers along it, until they found a small opening. Cole paused, crouching down to peer into the cave. He could see a small cave entrance. It was a tunnel, stretching into the rock. He could see it turn slightly. His heart urged him to climb inside. So he did. It was a tight fit, Cole muttered to himself about it being a kid sized tunnel. 

The inside of the cave was covered with the soft purple lights, they covered the walls and ceiling like constellations, and spangled the ground like splatters of paint. Cole found he could stand up in the cave, which was a relief. But if he reached up, he could probably touch the ceiling. He looked around the cave, but, despite what his heart was telling him, he didn’t see anybody. 

Then he heard a soft hum of recognition. “I’m surprised you made it here. I was sure you’d follow the fake heart out there. Not that you could ever reach it though....” The voice almost seemed to echo from the walls of the cave, but not quite. When he looked closer, Cole saw the smoky outline of a person. 

He was less tangible looking than the rest of this world, his form looking only half filled with strands of silky smoke. He didn’t have any defined features, Cole just saw him as a three-dimensional silhouette. But, even though he couldn’t see any eyes, somehow he could tell where the form was looking. The figure was sitting in a little alcove, his back leaning on one wall and his feet propped up on the other. He was turning something over in his hand, scratching at it with a sharp shard of rock. Maybe a wood carving? Cole did see what he thought were tree roots growing through the cave. 

Cole walked to the wall opposite the stranger, sitting down on a rock set up against it and pulling a knee up to his chest. He figured he’d need to talk to this person like how he did with Sora. At least he had a place to sit this time. “Fake heart?”

“Yeah. It’s supposed to lead... somebody off track, away from me. At least until they give up or die in here. But, I think you’re the first person to actually come here, so guess it didn’t work.” The figure was looking at Cole now, even without turning his head. “Good job... I guess.”

Cole shrugged. “The only heart I felt in here was you....”

The figure paused for a moment, then hummed thoughtfully and went back to his carving. 

Cole dropped his chin on his knee. “I don’t think I know you.”

“Lucky you.”

“What’s your name?”

The figure hesitated, glancing at Cole again. “Darkness.”

“I sincerely doubt that.”

He scratched at the wood in his hand, blowing the shavings off. “Chip?”

Cole raised an eyebrow. 

“Ash? Smoke? Weird person living in a cave in the realm of darkness?” The figure huffed, his shoulders raising then dropping in an unmotivated shrug. “It’s probably best you don’t actually know. Or maybe... it’s best for me. If I told you my name, you’d probably run screaming... or something. So just give me a few minutes, okay? It’s been a long time since I’ve talked to someone not my own shadow.” Cole could feel the stranger’s gaze hovering on him, watching with something he couldn’t quite explain. 

“Alright...? I mean you don’t have to tell me your name if you don’t want to.” Cole scratched his head. “Is there a name or something you’d like me to call you?”

The figure tilted his head. “Master....”

“I’m not calling you that.”

He chuckled softly. “Yeah didn’t think that’d work.” He was grinning, Cole could hear it in his voice. That was at least somewhat reassuring. “How about... Gold? My... friend used to call me that....” He sounded a little forlorn, and his head tilted slightly like he was remembering something a little sad. 

Cole smiled. “Sure, Gold. My name’s Cole.”

Gold raised his head, tilting it slightly. “Coal? I didn’t know we were going with the rock theme....” He started snickering.

Cole huffed, straightening up and crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, coal becomes diamonds you know.” He couldn’t help the teasing grin that spread across his lips. 

“I’ll be sure to start calling you ‘Diamond’ in a few /millennia/.” Gold laughed a little harder, wrapping his arms around himself and sitting up a little more. 

Cole smiled, feeling a grin spread across his face. Gold looked a little more solid than before. But he didn’t forget what he was here for. “So, what are you doing down here by yourself, Gold?”

Gold paused, almost freezing. Then he slumped back against the wall with a sigh, back into how he had been half sitting, half laying before. “This is... my punishment I suppose....” 

Cole heard a sad smile in his voice. “Punishment...? For what?”

“I ventured too far into darkness. I was foolish and stupid. I took too many things for granted. And look at me now....” He let out a soft sigh. “I used to be a hero you know....”

Cole hummed softly. “Used to be?” He sat forward a little. At least he got him talking. That’d make it easier to figure out how to get him out of here. 

Gold nodded, letting out a huff through his nose. “Yeah.... I was going to be at least.... We... we were going to be... at least.” He curled in on himself, clutching the wood carving to his chest. “I... it’s all my fault....”

Cole felt his heart shudder. He knew that feeling. _’It’s all my fault.’_ A series of painful memories flashed through his mind in half a second. During the... Keyblade War... he’d gotten separated from his friends, when they all ran in after Eddie. Eddie, the ever noble soft heart that he was, had been trying to save some of his friends, some kids, from the fighting. Stella and the others ran in after him. But Cole had hesitated, more than once, then gotten lost in the mass of bodies and the fog of danger. If he had stayed with them, if he hadn’t hesitated, if he wasn’t a coward... maybe they’d all still be alive, with him. _’It was all his fault, his mistake that may have been the final nail in their coffins.’_ Cole closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath. 

“Sometimes... you make mistakes. And you regret them for the rest of your life.... But making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. Even if you make a bad choice. It just... means you’re a person.... Nobody lives a life without regrets.... ‘If I’d only done this, if I’d only said that,’ there’s infinite ways to live your own life, but you only get to live one. No path is going to be perfect. And making bad choices or living with regrets... it doesn’t... that doesn’t make you a bad person.” 

Gold stared at him for a long time, silently reading him, his expression, his body language, his heart. Then he lowered his head, staring down at his lap. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I did....”

“Ventured too far into darkness? Well... I’ve done that too. More than once.” Cole shook his head, offering a friendly grin. “It’s an impossible expectation to think you can never fall into darkness, ‘less you be ‘tainted and unpure’ forever. Darkness doesn’t mean evilness, or corruption. It’s just... darkness, nothing more, nothing less.”

Gold laughed softly, shaking his head. “You sound just like he used to....” There was a grin in his voice, a little sad, but fond too. “He used to say that the world was made of light and darkness, in equal measure. That they’re two parts of the same whole. You can sift them apart, all nice and neat, but neither is the same without its other half.”

Cole hummed thoughtfully. “Sounds like a smart guy.” He grinned. “Stole my line though.”

Gold laughed softly, stifling it with a hand over his mouth. “Pretty sure he’s got you beat by uh... several decades.” He held a hand over his chest, a smirk dancing in his voice. “We’re both actually a lot older than how I look now. This form is just... how I looked... the last time I was fully me... I suppose.”

Cole tilted his head, feeling his eyebrows furrow and raise. That seemed... important. “What does /that/ mean?”

Gold chuckled bitterly. “I lost my heart a long time ago, just before I could take my mark of mastery exam.” He sighed, grumbling, “Unfair....”

“You lost your heart? Doesn’t that make you a heartless?”

Gold shook his head. “Not the way I lost it. It was chipped it away, piece by piece. Of course... I had help getting started down that path. But I’m definitely not free from blame. My heart fell into darkness piece by piece, being consumed by in like an infection. And piece by piece, I lost myself. I was no longer myself. The me who exists right now... he’s so different from who I should have been. He’s lost my emotions, my empathy, and maybe even the memories of times most precious to me.... I almost pity him... bitter and hateful old man that he is....” His voice sounded broken and raw, filled with bitter regret and an accepted helplessness. Cole has to wonder... if Gold could see what ‘the him who exist right now’ was doing, if he could see through his eyes... and hated every minute of it, wishing it, and he could just... end. Something about that just seemed so sad....

Cole scooted forward, debated with himself for a moment, then stood up and crossed the cave, moving to stand beside Gold. Cole offered him his hand, palm up, and inviting. “I’m sorry.”

Gold looked at his hand, then up at his face. He huffed and looked away. “I said it’s my fault. Why are /you/ sorry?”

Cole pressed his lips together, forming them into a smile. “Because that sounds like it hurt, and you definitely sound like you regret it.”

“I hurt others a lot more....”

“Maybe, but right now I’m talking about you. And you sound like that hurt and that you regret it. So I can’t fully blame you for just making a bad choice, or even more than one.” 

Gold glanced up at him again, looking between his outstretched hand and his face. Then, with a reluctant sounding sigh, he lifted his hand and dropped it into Cole’s. It was more of a limp smack than actually giving him his hand, but it worked. “You sound just like Eraqus....”

Cole smiled a little wider, curling his fingers around Gold’s hand. “I don’t know who that is either,” he snickered. 

Gold laughed softly, pausing for a moment. “He’s my- ...he was my best friend.... He gave me the stupid nickname... Gold. It came from the chess set we used. I always played the black and gold pieces. While he liked the white and silver ones. It’s such a stupid way to get a nickname....” He chuckled fondly, then the smile slipped away. “He hates me now....” 

Cole maneuvered himself so he could sit down without letting go of Gold’s hand. “How’s come?”

“Because I gave into darkness.” 

“Well that’s a stupid reason to hate someone.”

“I also tried to kill him and his students... in one case I actually succeeded. And I used the forces of darkness to destroy the things he was trying to protect.”

“Well... that reason’s a bit better...,” Cole grumbled.

Gold stared at him for a long moment, then started laughing. He leaned back, draping his free arm over his eyes. Cole grinned up at him, then caught sight of the wood carving dangling from his fingers. It was a tiny keyblade, the grip, guard, and teeth were all box shaped, with intricately carved rivets imbedded in the handle. “Is that Eraqus’s keyblade? Or is it yours?”

Gold started a little, sitting up and yanking his hand out of Cole’s. Cole let him go. Gold blinked and stared down at the carving in his hand. “It’s Eraqus’s.... He’s great- a great keyblade master.” He trailed his fingers over the carving, tracing it like it might shatter if he touched too hard. There was a fond grin plastered across his face. Cole blinked. He could see the grin now! He could see parts of Gold’s face! He was becoming more visible. His heart seemed more stable too. Cole grinned. Apparently talking was working. 

He settled back against the wall. “Oh yeah? What’s he like?”

Gold nodded, grin spreading as he talked more and more. “He’s amazing. He’s a natural born keyblade master, and born to wield. He wields light like it’s a part of his body. It’s incredible to watch him fight.... He creates this... aura of light around him. And it’s so pure and so powerful that when he does it... his shadow is made of light instead of darkness.” A soft smile spread across his face, a loving smile. 

Cole felt himself smiling too. He could feel warmth radiating from Gold’s heart. “Sounds like you really like him.”

“Of course I like him... he’s my best friend,” Gold said softly, looking down at the keyblade. “I used to be his too....”

“But he hates you now...?”

Gold nodded. “Because of what I did... the choices I made that lead me to here....”

Cole tilted his head a little, pursing his lips. He stayed silent, despite the urge to ask for more. He could sense the beginnings of pain and regret hanging in the air. 

After a long moment of silence, Gold continued speaking. “I thought-... I thought I saw darkness in him once.... There was this village... he had a lot of friends there.... Actually, that may have been the world he was born to.... But the heartless... destroyed it. I thought I saw darkness in his heart... when we found that it- It was just gone...! And the darkness... it just- it looked so **wrong**...! I- I had to do something.... I had... to save him.... Like he’d saved me.” Gold looked down at his hands, they were shaking. Then clutched the carved keyblade to his chest, drawing his knees up to bury his face in them. “So... I thought-...!” His voice cracked. Cole saw a flash of something silver against the dark fog that made up Gold’s form, on his cheek, but it was gone before he could actually see it. 

“I thought, ‘If the world is made of light and darkness, then I’ll be the darkness... so he doesn’t have to be’....” Gold sighed softly, the breath rattling as it escaped his throat. “And... look where that’s gotten us....”

Cole thought about all that for a long moment, pulling his knees to his chest. He could understand the sentiment, where he was coming from. He leaned his head back to lay against the cave wall, staring up at the soft lights woven through the layers of psuto-rock. “I don’t think... you were wrong. Maybe.... I think you just went too far....” Cole chewed his lip, carefully choosing what he said and how he said it. “There’s nothing wrong with darkness, just like there’s nothing wrong with light. But too much darkness, and too much light, neither is good for you.” Cole looked up at Gold and saw stormy silver eyes staring down at him from behind strands of silver hair that hung in his face. 

Cole stared almost in disbelief. He could see his face now! Gold was certainly pretty, skin the color of leather, or maybe hot chocolate, and stormy silver eyes that seemed to know far more than someone his age should. But, he did say he was older than he looked. His silver hair was neatly brushed and parted, though it stuck up in the back like he’d slept on it. He was dressed in black robes detailed with gold. He looked regal, and so so... alive.

Gold stared at him in his own disbelief. He blinked owlishly at Cole, eyes shimmering like electrified metal. “You think light can be bad...?”

Cole nodded slightly. “I’ve seen it. I’ve seen people so blinded by the light... so absorbed in righteousness and being /good/ at all times... it blinded them to what they were actually doing..., which was leading the people who trusted them, the /children/ who trusted them, to their deaths....” Cole closed his eyes, trying not to remember. “I don’t think light and darkness mean good and evil. I think they’re just two parts of people. And you need both those parts, light and darkness, to be whole.” He smiled softly, opening his eyes again. “I became someone else’s light, because he lost his. And he became my darkness, because I couldn’t carry mine alone. And together, we make each other better, stronger.” 

Cole looked up at Gold, seeing a light shining in his eyes. “You... you actually did that...? How long-...?”

Cole grinned sheepishly. “I think we’ve actually been doing it longer than we realized. It just kinda... happened.” He raised his hand, patting Gold’s knee. “I really think you should talk to your friend. Maybe he’ll be more understanding than you think, and maybe he’s missing you too.”

Gold hummed softly, leaning back against the wall. He closed his eyes. “I don’t know.... He seemed pretty angry with me... for pretty good reasons.”

Cole tilted his head, humming softly. Gold seemed much more agitated. He kept tensing and twitching, mumbling to himself. “He has every right- What I did was unforgivable.... I don’t deserve-....” 

Suddenly, Gold sprang to his feet and stormed around the room, growling to himself and grabbing fistfuls of his hair like he was in pain. “No.... No...! He’s not- I’m not forgivable. I don’t deserve his forgiveness. I don’t deserve to-“ He let out a painful sounding groan, shuddering all over. Then he whirled around and slammed his fist against the wall. 

Dark smoke flooded the room as the cave collapsed into dark fog. The small lights within the fog flickered and danced around like silt in a swirling pool, curling around Cole and, he assumed, Gold. “It’s not fair!” Gold shouted into the darkness. “I never asked for this! All I wanted-! I didn’t want this....”

The smoke reformed, creating a much tighter cave. Cole found himself sitting on a part of, rock he assumed, that jutted out from the wall. There wasn’t a definite form to the room. Cole couldn’t even call it a cave, it was more like a clearing in the fog. The smoke seemed to refuse to form properly, lazily drifting around, except, thankfully, the parts Cole was sitting on. 

Gold stood in the center of the room, shoulders slumped and arms hanging limp at his sides. He had returned to a smoky form again, off colored and half see through. Cole could see silver streams flowing from his eyes, and down his cheeks. He was crying.... Gold slowly turned around, half falling backwards until his back collided with the wall. He slid down the wall until he was sitting on a small rock, just barely off the ground. His form gradually started returning, becoming more solid. 

When Cole could see his face again, he saw that Gold was biting his lip, his shoulders shaking and jumping as he tried to suppress his crying. Cole sat forward, wanting to get up and help. He almost did but something told him to stay back. 

Gold curled in on himself, bringing his knees to his chest. “Even... even if you say that.... Even if you and your friend can be each others’ light and darkness.... I’m not- I can’t be his equal. He’s so.... Eraqus is incredible.... He’s so much better than-.... He thought the world of me... but I don’t- I didn’t... and still don’t deserve it. He was everything I wasn’t. I just....” Gold took a shaky breath, digging his fingers into his hair. He was shaking, practically shivering. “I don’t know.”

Cole hummed softly, laying his chin on his knee. Gold was shivering and shaking his head, again and again, almost like he was refusing himself, what he wanted to say. He seemed so... lost. Cole sat up a little bit, tilting his head. “My friend - a different friend - taught me a way to... express myself, how I was feeling when I didn’t know what to say or how to say it.” He tapped his fingers against his leg, imagining the old piano in their home base. “When I just couldn’t say what I felt, I would sing it instead. Do you want to try that?”

Gold made a choked sound that might have been a hum or maybe a ‘What?’. Then he grumbled something to himself and curled up tighter. Cole waited for a long moment. “What would you want to say to Eraqus? Don’t even think about it, just... sing, with your heart. Let it speak.”

Gold sat deathly still for a long moment. Cole was about to offer to sing something first when he saw Gold take a deep breath and raise his head slightly. His eyes were closed, and his mouth flapped uselessly for a moment. It was hard, listening to your heart, then finding the right tune and the right words. Gold’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment, his mouth soundlessly forming words. Then he started singing. 

“If I could... begin to be... half of what~ you think of me~ I could do about anything~...” His voice sounded a little mournful, a little longing, and with a little admiration mixed in. “I could even learn how to love...~” 

“When I see... the way you act, wondering when... I’m coming back~ I could do about anything~ I could even learn how to love~... like you.... love~ like you....”

Gold sat up a little more, putting more emotion into the song. “I always thought I might be bad...! Now I’m sure that it’s true...! Cause I think you’re so~ good... and I’m nothing like you...!” Tears streamed down his cheeks, still baring the odd, yet ethereal silvery color. His eyes alight with either pain or passion. “Look at you go! I just adore you~! I with that I knew~...! What makes you think... I’m so~ special~....” Gold took a deep, shaking breath, pausing for just a moment to regain his composure. “Even though... I can’t compare.... And I’m sorry... if I stare. I just want to do everything...- Maybe I could even learn how to love...~”

Gold leaned back against the wall, staring into a distance that wasn’t there. He rubbed his thumb against the carved keyblade, like he was pretending it was someone’s hand instead. “People say... this love is wrong. But all I want is to belong.... I can say without any~ doubt... everyone should learn how to love~ like you.... Love~ like you~ Love... like... you~....”

Gold swallowed thickly, closing his eyes against his tears. He bit his lip, trying to bite back the shaking of his body. He laid his head in his hands, bending over to hide his face in his knees. He gave a soft hiccup. “I almost wish... I could have said that to him.... Eraqus... he made me... want to be better.... He was the first person... who loved me... as myself.” 

Cole opened his mouth to say something, but a soft light stopped him. A soft light slowly drifted down from above, beyond the ceiling. It grew brighter and brighter as it got closer. And eventually Cole could see it take the shape of a young man with dark hair and white robes detailed with silver. He floated down with an ethereal grace, his robes billowing around him, until his foot met the floor of their tiny not cave. He settled down, tilting his head at Gold’s curled up form. 

“I heard you.... And I still do.” The newcomer said softly, kneeling down in front of Gold. 

Gold’s head snapped up, eyes wide as his mouth opened in a silent scream. He pressed his back against the wall, looking like he’d seen a ghost. Then, after a moment of his mind grinding its gears, he surged forward and launched himself at the newcomer with a cry. “Eraqus!” Gold cried. He wrapped his arms around the newcomer, Eraqus apparently, and pressed his face into his neck. 

Cole held a hand over his eyes, feeling a bit like an intruder. So he gave them their private moment. At least, as private as he could in the small space. He heard Eraqus speaking softly, murmuring into Gold’s ear as Gold stifled sobs in his shirt.

“You- you don’t hate me...?” Gold breathed as he sat back on his heels. His voice was shaking.

Eraqus shook his head. “I can’t hate you... you’re my best friend.” He pulled Gold into another tight hug. “I’ve made mistakes too, Xehanort. We’re both at fault for this. We were foolish, playing game makers while we were just pieces ourselves. So of course I can’t hate you, not when I’ve done the same thing, made the same mistakes.” Eraqus pressed his face into Gold’s hair, rubbing his back as Gold cling to him, digging his fingers into his robes. “We tried being chessmasters without considering what could come of it, what would come of it.” Eraqus pulled back and stood up, pulling Gold to his feet too. “And I think... we still have some things to fix. Don’t you?”

Gold nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes. “We still have a chance... to make things right. I know what to do. At least, where to start....”

Eraqus smiled and started floating upwards, his feet lifting off the ground. He onto Gold’s hand, pulling him up with him. “Then we’d better wake up. And do what we can to make this right.”

Gold smiled up at Eraqus like he’d just given him the sun. He looked more alive when he smiled, younger too. Gold looked down at Cole, who had dropped his hand and was watching them float away with a confused expression. “Thank you.... You... really did help... Diamond.” Gold flashed him a cocky grin and a wink as Eraqus pulled the both upwards, out of the dream. 

Cole raised his hand and gave them a small wave. “Good luck...! Nice meeting you...!” They disappeared into the smoke, leaving Cole alone. 

After a long moment, the smoke started dissipating. Cole felt it sliding past him, and he felt himself moving. He felt like he was falling, deeper and deeper. Maybe he should have tried to hitch a ride out of somebody. He felt himself falling deeper into dreams, despite the struggle not to. He couldn’t go to sleep again. Vani couldn’t rescue him again. Cole tried to fight the descent, but he slipped down, away from the world of black fog. 

 

Cole blinked, and found himself lying on the ink covered platform again, staring up at the black fog that surrounded it. This time the silvery grey ink already covered the entire platform, leaving none of the other inks. It spilled off the sides of the platform, into the abyss below in an endless stream that seemed to stem from nowhere. Cole sat up with a groan, then winced. He rolled his shoulders, feeling the wound thing on his back aching again. He must have hit it hard... again. He looked around. Now what? There weren’t any more hearts here. What was he supposed to do now? Was he just supposed to... wake up? It didn’t seem like he could. 

Then he heard something behind him. Cole turned around and saw a Chirithy appear behind him, hovering just above the ink. He blinked. It was the same Chirithy as before! Cole rolled around to sit cross legged, facing the Chirithy. “Hello again,” he said, offering a friendly smile. “Miss me?”

Chirithy trotted over to him, still not touching the ink, jumping on air. They settled them self on his knee, staring up at him with those eyes that knew far too much. Chirithys always looked so sad, like they were weighed down with all the experiences of every other Chirithy as well. That’s how Grace described it anyway....

Chirithy reached up and patted Cole’s cheek. “I see you’ve saved a couple hearts on your way.”

Cole snickered softly at Chirithy blatantly ignoring his question. “Yeah. It’s kind of my job isn’t it?”

Chirithy hummed, tilting their head. “I suppose so.” They jumped up to perch on Cole’s knee, pushing their face into his. “But I think you’ve lost your way back. You should have gone back with one of them.”

Cole sighed softly, hanging his head. “I was afraid of that.... But I don’t really know how I could have. Gold left with his friend to go do something they had to themselves, at least I think they would have protested me coming along. And I couldn’t leave with Sora, since Gold was still down here.”

Chirithy let out a small sigh, shaking their head. “I see. You really are a keyblade wielder, aren’t you?”

Cole scoffed. “Of course I am! Besides, I had a Chirithy of my own who trained me very well.” He grinned and winked, propping his head up with his hand and setting his elbow on his other knee. 

Chirithy hummed. “Well, Chirithy is a good trainer....”

“Sure is...!” Cole smiled. “But... I don’t suppose you know of another way out...?”

Chirithy sighed, crossing their arms over their chest. “I suppose I do.... You were supposed to follow someone’s heart back to the them in the realm of waking, but since you missed those two’s, you’ll have to use another one’s.”

Cole tilted his head. “Follow someone’s heart back to them? Is there someone else trapped in the realm of dreams?”

Chirithy nodded. “Of course, lots of people. But no one you’d really know.... And none who could lead you back to the realm of waking....” Chirithy hesitated, shuffling their feet. “It’s best if those people stay asleep a little longer....” Then they pointed up at Cole’s heart. “Besides...! I’m talking about someone who’s heart is already with you. You can return it, follow their heart back to them in the realm of waking.”

Cole blinked, looking down at his own chest. He gingerly placed a hand over his heart, feeling its gentle thrum through his chest. “I... don’t think I have anybody’s heart... just my own.”

Chirithy shook their head. “No not there.” They pointed at his heart again. “Behind you, in your hood.”

Cole blinked, then slowly turned to look over his shoulder, into his hood. A small head peeked out of his hood, giving him a huge yawn. Then, Sweetie squeaked at him and nuzzled his cheek. “You mean... Sweetie is... a heart...?” _Vani’s heart?_ Cole gently rubbed his fingers against Sweetie’s head, feeling the unversed start purring as he nuzzled his fingers. 

Chirithy nodded. “It’s full of emotions... basically a snapshot of his heart from a certain moment. And when it returns to him, it returns the parts of his heart that he put into it, the emotions that created it. It’s kind of like a dream eater that way, made of something intangible.” Chirithy smiled fondly to them self. 

They jumped up to land in Cole’s arms. Cole caught him on reflex and was a little proud of himself for that. Chirithy reached a hand out, patting Sweetie on the snout. “I don’t think he’s ready to see me yet. So say hello to him for me....” Sweetie squeaked in affirmation. 

Cole blinked. “What-?”

Chirithy leapt backwards, landing in mid air, hovering above the ink. “I know I’m not your Chirithy, but let me give you some advice. Don’t let yourself run away from the painful things. There’s still some things to learn from them.” With that, Chirithy jumped up and spun around, disappearing into a puff of smoke. 

Cole blinked owlishly at the spot where they’d disappeared. “Wh- Huh?!” He just stared at that spot for a long moment, then looked back at Sweetie, chewing his lip. “Did you understand that?” Sweetie squeaked at him. “I hate it when they’re all cryptic and mysterious. I’m only half decent at riddles...,” Cole grumbled as he climbed to his feet. 

He coaxed Sweetie to climb into his arm, cradling the unversed against his chest. “Well... I guess.... Can you take me back to Vani...?” Sweetie stared up at him, then nestled against his chest and started purring. “I see.” Cole stroked Sweetie’s head gently with his thumb, thinking about Vani. 

He thought about what he was doing now. Was the battle over? Was he okay? Sora was okay at least. At least he thought so. Maybe Vani was worried about him. Maybe he was still fighting. 

Cole pressed his face into Sweetie, feeling his heart aching. He was so worried. Vani must be so worried about him. Cole wanted to be with him now, wanted to fight by his side, to protect him. He wanted to protect the people he cared about, protect Sora and Riku and... all of them. They were fighting for their lives. They shouldn’t have to fight... not like that. He wanted to help. He remembered the people who fell during the fighting. He remembered the people who didn’t, the dandelions. He remembered what it felt like, remembering, realizing he was in a dream. Cole bit his lip, biting back the ache in his chest. He wanted to be back there, protecting people! He wanted to wake up...! He wanted to... be with Vani...!

Cole didn’t notice when his feet first left the ground. He only noticed that they did when he tried to sit down, to curl up. But suddenly the ground just wasn’t there! Cole gasped and looked down, only to find himself floating up and away from the ink covered platform. He held Sweetie tighter, feeling the ache on his back stretching more than before. It felt like it was growing. The ink below him was disappearing, slowly sliding across the platform like a curtain being drawn. Cole saw the tip of a keyblade, of Dancing Moonlight, and part of a leg. 

Then Sweetie dissolved under his hands. Cole gasped in horror as the unversed disappeared, melted into a ball of darkness speckled with light. His heart lurched with a cold visceral scream as he clutched the remnants of the unversed to his chest. But it died down when the light speckled darkness, Vani’s darkness, wrapped around him. And he felt... love. 

Emotions swirled around him like he’d been consumed by a heart. Everything felt so... real. He felt nervousness and longing like crackles of electricity across his skin. He felt indecision and unsureness like being pulled in too many directions. Move forward, pull back. Go towards the new soft light, retreat into the shadow of the familiar spotlight. He felt a desire settle in the pit of his stomach, coiling around his core. He tasted fear at the back of his throat, choking on itself. He felt unrecognized love, piercing through his heart, pulling him apart as quickly as it stitched him together. He felt Vanitas, all around him, through him. He felt his heart. And he felt love. 

Cole felt something warm sliding down his cheeks. Vani loved him. He really did. Cole felt himself smile as the muscles his back stretched out and finally relaxed. He was rising now, up out of the dream. 

One last glance down, and Cole saw the stained glass picture of the platform, now free of ink. It showed a beautiful image of him, curled up like he was sleeping, with Moonlight in one hand and Stars in the other. He saw the tree that hung over the cliff, that place where he’d made a choice to save someone, inadvertently setting himself on the path of the keyblade wielder. 

Cole smiled down at the beautiful stained glass rendition of his heart, glowing with a soft, cool light. He watched it until the colored glass blurred together, until it was just a pale glowing circle, looking like the moon. And finally, with a sensation like heavy curtains falling off of him, Cole woke up. He stared up into the dark sky and saw the remains of the ruined moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used: Love Like You -Steven Universe  
> Specifically inspired by [this cover!](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GxItF_bPnsM)
> 
> Sooooooo!! 
> 
> This chapter took longer than I was expecting. Probably because it ended up *much* longer than I expected....  
> __(⊙＿⊙)__
> 
> But I got it done! And I’m rather pleased with how it turned out! >:D
> 
> There’s a lot more subtly and thematic through lines in this chapter, many of which I have been building towards/waiting for for a long time! And yet, more things are getting foreshadowed~... with varying degrees of subtly. ( ~°3°)~
> 
> And if you’ll excuse meh, here’s a cute lil exchange between Cole and ‘Gold’ that I couldn’t include but very much enjoyed anyways. 
> 
>  
> 
> Gold chuckled bitterly. “I lost my heart a long time ago, just before I could take my mark of mastery exam.”
> 
> “Mark of mastery exam...?” Cole tilted his head. 
> 
> “And you call yourself a keyblade wielder....” He huffed. 
> 
> “Never said I was one.”
> 
> “You’re here aren’t you?”
> 
> “Fair point.”
> 
>  
> 
> SO! There we go! I am done with this chapter and I...! Probably need a break honestly..... (⊙3⊙)/
> 
> Thank y’all so much for reading this very long chapter and I’d love to hear your thoughts! °w°/<3


	25. Graveyard

The sky was dark, almost like it was blanketed with heavy clouds. But the moon shone through... or rather, Kingdom Hearts hung below the cloud cover. There was a hole in it. It was mostly hole. Only a thin, heart shaped outline separated the darkness of the void from the darkness of the clouds. It was... empty. Kingdom Hearts was empty. 

Half a dozen emotions exploded inside him all at once. Horror, how could this happen? Shock, is this actually happening, it couldn’t be, right? Pain, they had failed to protect the thing they had sworn themselves to, failed their mission as keyblade wielders. Worry, where were the others, the guardians, the hearts that had been inside Kingdom Hearts? Hope, had they come back..., just like he’d been imagining for what felt like so long? Resolve, they would fix this, they had to. 

Cole looked down from the sky. And his blood ran cold. He was surrounded by.... Keyblades, hundreds of thousands of them. Keyblades of every shape and size. He recognized more than a few of them. Each one stood like a grave marker, tall, dark, dead. They stood as grave markers, each one a memorial to a fallen heart. A slain heart. Cole stood in an open space within the ocean of dead keyblades. Four paths stretched away from him. It felt like a target, zeroed in on him. Cole felt like hundreds of thousands of eyes were suddenly turned on him. He imagined he could hear them. Remnants of fallen heroes whispered accusations at him, some bitter, some pained, some full of sorrow. 

_Why did you survive? When so many of us fell, why were you spared our fate?_

_It’s not fair. We deserved to live too._

_You failed your masters. You were meant to die too._

_As it was foretold...._

Cole wrapped his arms around himself, a cold darkness closing around his mind. His vision narrowed even as his eyes darted around wildly. Keyblades. Keyblades everywhere. Dead keyblades. Everywhere. Everywhere he looked, more dead keyblades, like grave markers. There was something... something here, out there. Where- He opened his mouth to say something, tried to say something. 

_I’m sorry._

_It should have been someone else._

_It shouldn’t have been me._

_I shouldn’t have been the one to survive._

“It should have been you...,” he managed to choke out. “So many of you... you deserved this chance at life far more than me.... I- I already had my second chance.... It shouldn’t have been me.... I should have died.”

Something smacked him in the back of the head, snapping him out of his thoughts and bringing Cole to his knees. He clutched the back of his head, groaning curses through gritted teeth. A familiar voice echoed over him. “I told you I’d smack you if you ever thought something like that again....” Cole lifted his head despite the pain. He was sure he was hallucinating, because... there was someone familiar standing over him. 

“H-Haley...?” 

It /was/ Haley, standing beside him, her keyblade, the thing looked like a bunch of Valentine’s Day plastic heart decorations glued together, slung over one shoulder. She was dressed for battle, her hair tucked up under her hat and her heals switched out for combat boots, with the sparkly pink laces of course. A smirk danced on her lips as she looked down at him. “Hey Charcoal. I don’t need to smack you again do I?” 

Cole took three steps back really quick. “No!” He shielded the back of his head. 

Haley snickered. “Well good.” She swung her arm down, dispelling her keyblade to let her arm hang loosely as her hips cocked to the side. Her smile changed into something warmer, her eyes sparkling with that familiar kindness. “It’s nice seeing you again. You look good.” 

“You do to- wait.... How... how are you here? You’re....” Cole faltered, shame and guilt rising inside him. 

Haley tilted her head a little. “I’m...?”

“Dead,” another familiar voice finished. “We’re dead.” Cole looked over his shoulder and saw Apollo standing a few feet behind him. He looked... good, not like he was missing a week’s worth of sleep and only running on caffeine and stubborn spite alone. He looked even better than he did when he was alive. 

Cole opened his mouth to say something, try to apologize for... surviving. A giggle cut him off. Grace stood off to one side, wearing frills and her favorite blue ribbon in her hair. She smiled warmly. “We know we’ve been dead. But Kingdom Hearts was....” She gestured uselessly upwards, unable to find the right word. “Destroyed, I guess. So where else did we have to go?”

“Well,” Eddie’s voice started. Cole looked behind him and sure enough, Eddie was there, looking better than ever, despite being swallowed by the oversized hoodie that practically reached his knees. He tapped a finger against his chin. “It wasn’t destroyed as much as it was... turned over and dumped out....” He mimed turning over a trash can and shaking it violently. He watched the imaginary trash flutter to the ground. 

“Eddie...,” Apollo groaned, eyeing him sternly. 

Eddie hid his imaginary trash can behind his back and batted his eyelashes at Apollo, practically sparkling with feigned innocence. “Whaaaaat~?”

“Quit it,” Apollo snapped at him. He looked like he already knew he was gonna lose this fight. 

Eddie grinned. “You love me~!”

“Tha-...! Not the point....” Apollo was slowly turning red. 

Cole looked between them, the four of them, each standing in the mouth of one of the pathways that branched out from the center. The target felt a little less menacing. But... something was missing; he was almost afraid to ask. Despite the normalcy of Apollo and Eddie bickering, Haley shooting her comments into it every so often, and Grace watching with intrigue, waiting for them to tire themselves out, he was afraid to ask. Something was missing. Someone... was missing. 

“Where’s Stella...?” Cole breathed. He was afraid of the answer. What if-? What if what? What if she wasn’t... okay...? He was scared, but he had to ask. He had to know....

They all stopped, looking back at him. Then, Eddie snorted and started snickering. Then Haley joined in. Grace covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her giggling. Apollo cleared his throat to swallow his laughter. “Um... turn around,” he mumbled into his fist. 

Cole looked over his shoulder and saw Stella standing behind him, giving him bunny ears with her fingers. She cracked a grin, throwing him a wink. “Heya Charcoal. Miss me?”

Cole’s mouth flapped open and shut for a solid minute before he finally found his voice. “I was worried about you!” He felt utterly betrayed. How dare she worry him so much! For something that couldn’t even be called a prank!

Stella snickered softly. “I know. I’m sorry Char. I just... appeared behind you and I /had/ to....” Her grin slipped into a soft smile. “Sorry.” At least she sounded sorry. 

“Jerk...,” Cole whined, rubbing away the tears that threatened to form in his eyes. 

“Just a bit....”

Cole straightened up, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He let it out slowly, feeling himself relax ever so slightly. It was okay. He knew what he was going to do, what he planned to do for ages. 

He held up his left hand, calling for Stars Align. The keyblade formed in his grasp. Cole held it out in front of him, offering it back to Stella. “I think this belongs to you....” He smiled softly. 

Stella grinned slightly, reaching out. She gingerly took Stars Align from Cole’s hand. He let her, dropping his hand as she took it in hers. Stella stared down at Stars, a pained, loving look in her eyes. “Yeah....” She looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m sorry Cole. I’m-I’m not sorry that I saved your life... but I’m sorry I left you all alone....”

Cole felt the tears spring back to his eyes. Emotion welled up inside him as he remembered all the hurt and heartbreak at once. Alone again, left alone again. Again and again, he was always left alone. It hurt. It hurt every time. He bit his lip, tasting blood. 

Stella raised her hand, gingerly placing it against his cheek, but Cole could barely feel it. She wasn’t really there, not physically. She was just a ghost, just a disembodied heart. They all were. Cole felt like a knife was being twisted into his heart. This finally felt real. It felt final. They really were dead. He’d known it before. But now he felt it. 

Stella let out a soft sigh. “I’m sorry we left you alone, Cole. But... it looks like you’ve made some new friends.” She smiled softly, then drew her hand away, letting it fall to her side. 

“I could never replace you...! Not any of you!” Cole cried, a hand flying up to grab his shirt, over his heart. 

“We know that,” Grace piped up cheerfully. 

“We’re irreplaceable! One of a kind! Er- five of a kind... five of five kinds....” Eddie trailed off, eyebrows furrowing. 

“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t move on...,” Haley smiled sadly. “We’re dead. And you need friends.”

“But.... We’ll always be a part of your heart, even when you make new friends.” Apollo nodded thoughtfully, like he was agreeing with himself. 

“Plus,” Stella winked. “That boy in your heart, he’s pretty cute. And I approve.” 

Cole blinked. “Appro- boy in my-... Vani!” He gasped sharply, looking around wildly. In the dusty dirt by his feet, he saw the small glimmer of what was left of Sweetie, that shard of Vani’s heart. Cole scooped it up, pressing it to his chest. He must have... dropped it... when he had his panic attack.... He sighed softly as he felt the soft thrum of a heartbeat vibrate through the shard. 

Cole looked back up at Stella, who was tilting her head quizzically. “I have to get back to him. Last I saw... we were fighting heartless. So, so many heartless....”

Cole looked down at the ground, trying to think. If he just ran back in... they weren’t doing so good, even with all of them. If only... there were more of them.... Cole slowly raised his eyes, looking out over the ocean of keyblades. There had been an army here, five armies. “If... you all came back... where’s everybody else...?” There was an idea forming. An idea that scared him more than a little. 

“I don’t know,” Stella admitted. 

“Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?!” Eddie gasped, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he folded his hands together mischievously. 

“We came here because we heard your heart calling for us,” Grace piped up. “Maybe if you call-!”

Cole bit his lip hard. They needed help, that much was certain. He closed his eyes and summoned Dancing Moonlight to his hands. He reached out with his heart, using his keyblade as a focus, feeling the hearts of his friends around him, almost corporeal. Then, to the west, he felt other hearts, Sora and the others, surrounded by an absent feeling, heartless. He counted the hearts. ...eight... nine... ten... reinforcements apparently. But they weren’t enough. There was still a sea of heartless, their hearts merely islands being thrown about. 

Cole focused in on the seemingly endless sea of dead keyblades. He felt their emptiness. Their dead hearts... some less dead than others.... He focused on those, maybe a hundred or so. He didn’t know who they used to be, but he knew they had been heroes. And that was who he needed right now. 

He focused all his energy into casting a spell he didn’t know. He hoped Moonlight knew how to actually cast it. “May my heart be my guiding key....”

**“Fallen heroes of times long past, the time for redemption comes at last. Find your strength, reclaim your oath. Hearts of light, darkness, and those of both, return to this place, from across the void. Defend your world from those who seek to destroy!”**

Something changed in the air, like a stirring of energy that swirled around Cole’s legs like flowing water. He smelled a scent like home. For just a moment, he smelled Daybreak Town. Visions of purple roofs and worn cobblestone streets flashed through his mind. He hung there a moment, his heart longing for home, until he saw a bright light through his eyelids. 

Cole blinked his eyes open against the quickly dimming light. Within the sea of dark, dead keyblades, he saw maybe a hundred of them light up, shining with a golden light. Then, as the light faded, it changed forms. All around the battlefield, figures formed themselves out of the light. 

Strands of light swirled into shape, cooling and twisting around themselves to form undefined torsos and indistinct limbs. Then the lights wound tighter, braided cords formed arms and hands and fingers. Light poured itself into the shape of legs and feet. Shadows stretched from their positions, winding up and through the braided cords of light, giving them color and definition. A hundred fallen warriors straightened up, looking determined. They each took their keyblade from the ground, some ripping them from the dirt and dust that had long since settled around them, some working them free with delicacy, some simply called them to hand. 

The army of remnants approached Cole, filling in the open paths. Cole looked around at all of them, everyone of them were dressed for battle, and wore a mask to declare their Union. Cole supposed that must be caused by their hearts rather than their memories. He didn’t remember seeing any masks like these in the fighting, aside from the foretellers. He glanced around at his team, their appearances had changed. They were wearing masks now too. 

Stella stood in a solid stance, Stars held behind her arm in a reverse grip, ready to be swung at a moment’s notice. Her hair had been pulled back, in a long, low set ponytail that reached halfway down her back. On her face, a unicorn mask sat proudly. 

Cole felt his lips twitch, uncertain whether to smile or frown. They hadn’t been part of Unicornis.... Had she wanted to be? 

He got his answer when his eyes found Grace wearing a bear mask. Yeah. Definitely not wanting to be in that union. Grace was absolutely terrified of Master Aced. Cole figured there must have been some reason he couldn’t quite grasp that decided the masks they wore. He quickly took stock of the others, Apollo in a leopard mask, Eddie in a snake one, and Haley in a fox mask. Cole chewed his lip thoughtfully. Five different masks, one for each foretellers. Where did that leave him?

Cole shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to think about stuff that wasn’t important. He had his army now. Time for a daring rescue. Cole raised his head, looking out at the army of remnants. “Follow me.”

He turned on his heel and marched westward, pulling his hood up, and down low over his eyes. This had to work. He had to make this work. Cole moved forward, the ghostly army of disembodied hearts following nearly silently behind him.

 

Vanitas grit his teeth just before the heartless hit him. When the massive hand collided with his side, it sent him flying. Vanitas angled his fall so he rolled to his feet. He slashed Dark Heart through the backside of a heartless’s knees, ducking out of the way before it could fall on him. The heartless’ numbers had started climbing again; they just weren’t killing them fast enough. Vanitas caught sight of an explosion of light off to one side, billowing out in a half sphere, vaporizing any heartless that touched it. That must have been the princess of light, he couldn’t quite remember her name. But not even Aqua could create a light spell that big and pure. 

“Princess is a little power house, isn’t she?” Vanitas chuckled to himself. He stabbed his keyblade downward and fell into shadow. He flew across the ground, skirting the biggest swarms of heartless. He gathered force, then launched himself out of the shadows, rising up above the swarm of heartless to get a view of the battlefield. 

Yeah, that had been the princess alright. She was shimmering with energy, shooting off light spells like Sora had been earlier. Vanitas turned his head and saw Roxas and Xion still beating the ever living darkness out of Siax, which would probably have been /very/ entertaining to watch. The fire wielder was with them too. 

On the other side of the field, Vanitas spotted Riku exchanging blows with someone who looked a lot like him, except... shorter. And with longer hair. Sora was there too. He looked tired, not even using spells or anything fancy. He looked like he was struggling to keep his footing in all honestly. But, not too far away, the giant rat was clearing a path towards Sora and Riku, along with the duck and dog person that Vanitas recognized as Sora’s companions. They looked like they were coming to help, so Vanitas figured they were okay. 

Then, far away from the others, isolated by a sea of heartless, Ventus and Aqua were fighting someone who looked disturbingly like Terra. That was probably... not good. Vanitas felt echoes of panic and pain emanating from Ventus’s heart. 

So, without even thinking about it, as soon as his feet hit the ground, he took off in their direction. But he couldn’t help thinking what a dramatic reunion this would be. How ironic, last time all four of them were together, he’d been trying to distract Ventus and Aqua so Xehanort could take over Terra’s body. Now, apparently it was time to fix that mistake. 

Vanitas leapt over a crowd of shadows, then slid underneath a large heartless, hardly faltering in his stride as he felt himself drawing closer to Ventus. He felt Ventus’s heart spare just enough attention to notice him approaching, but the rest of him was focused solely on Terra, trying desperately to pull his friend back to awareness. 

Vanitas felt the blow before he even had a chance to see it coming. Something slammed against his shoulders, slipping up to his neck as he lost his balance. Something cold, metal, and brimming with darkness wrapped around his neck, yanking him backwards, and up. Vanitas felt his legs kick as his feet left the ground. He thrashed around, getting his fingers between the chain and his neck before more of the chain bound his arms in place. His legs kicked uselessly as he tried to squirm away, but the darkness winding through them sapped his strength. Vanitas found himself thinking thoughts that weren’t his, realizing that he was hearing a voice vibrating through the chains. 

_”This is what it felt like, all those years I was left alone. No matter how hard I struggled, how hard I tried to sink into the darkness, into nothingness, these bonds of friendship kept me from nonexistence. Years, decades, centuries.... How long has it been? I can not feel the passage of time, only the torture of being suspended by these chains, never able to reach nonexistence, never able to reach peace. Now, with these chains you have bound me in... I will deliver to you the nonexistence I so craved.”_

Vanitas squirmed, thrashing his legs. He forced his eyes open, eyes finding Ventus dangling not far from him, wrapped in chains again. Aqua danced below them, narrowly avoiding the chains that reached for her. Vanitas looked down, beneath him and Ventus, the heartless gathered, ready to tear into two keyblade wielders who couldn’t defend themselves, if only the chains would come closer. He glanced towards Sora. He still looked tired, worn out. He wouldn’t be able to pull that light revival stunt again. 

Vanitas grit his teeth, feeling a kind of levity in his heart. At least now... maybe.... Ventus cried out a warning to Aqua. She lurched to the side as a chain almost snagged her leg. Vanitas steeled himself. He couldn’t give up, not if Ventus wouldn’t. He was the stronger half after all. He summoned his own darkness, dripping black shadow, and pushed it into the chains. Maybe... a distraction would work.... Maybe he could....

Something, a kind of tremor in the air, drew his attention to the cliff top opposite of Xehanort. Something was there, coming closer with a presence that warped the way light and darkness spread across the land. Across the battle field, a wave rose as every fighter, every heartless, every nobody, stopped fighting and looked towards the source of the tremor, each sensing the same thing. There was a weight to it, physical weight. Something there drew attention in like a black hole. Light and darkness swirled around an unseen point like clouds being sucked into a tornado. 

Vanitas felt his heart leap into his throat as he saw Cole appear at the edge of the cliff. His hood was up, hiding his face, but he knew, he could tell, it was Cole. He was there. He was alive! A thought flashed across his mind, gone almost before he could register it. _Had he ever seen Cole with his hood up before?_ But it didn’t matter. Cole was here. He was okay. He was alive!

 

Cole stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the army of heartless below. There were more than when he sorta died. Well, good thing he brought reinforcements. He glanced to the side, towards a small opening in the cliff side, a tunnel that led out to the badlands beyond. Sensing more than seeing, he felt something, someone closing in from the north. Another remnant? Something told him that remnant was important, powerful too. A powerful will propelled it forward faster than it should have been able to go. 

“Time to put on a show,” Cole murmured. A smug grin pulled at his lips as he looked straight ahead, eyes fixed on the old man wielding the huge, shining keyblade. The old man looked surprised, shocked even. Cole felt a little more smug. He hefted his keyblade above his head, Dancing Moonlight glowing with a gentle silver light against the dark, empty sky. 

 

Vanitas watched Cole raise his keyblade high above his head. Then, his eyes widened as he saw dozens, no, hundreds of forms come into view around him: people wearing masks and holding... Keyblades...! More than a hundred keyblade wielders appeared at the edge of the cliff, staring down Xehanort and his army. But they felt strange. Vanitas narrowed his eyes, looking at them closer. Then he realized, they weren’t fully there. These keyblade wielders were barely more than remnants, hearts that only half remembered who they used to be. But where had they come from...? Intuition flicked his eyes upwards, towards the broken Kingdom Hearts. Vanitas dropped his eyes back down to Cole. Had he done something...?

Cole held perfectly still for a long moment, eyes blazing with a fire of challenge as he stared down Xehanort. Then, something dark and lightning fast flashed in the corner of Vanitas’s eye. A streak of earthy colors shot from a crevice in the cliff side closest to them, coming from the north. Vanitas looked down just in time to see a figure clad in armor slam into the Not-Terra, knocking him off his feet. That was...! That was Terra’s armor! Vanitas felt something inside of there, a part of a heart, maybe just the outline of it....

Ventus let out a surprised, hope-filled cry. “Terra!” The figure in the armor inclined his head towards Ventus, and something passed between them, an understanding of some sort. Then the Not-Terra climbed to his feet with a growl, brandishing his chains. The armored Terra charged him. 

Vanitas looked back up at the cliff, at Cole. His keyblade fell. The army charged. Hundreds of keyblade wielders leapt down the cliff, some running straight down, some gliding further out before they descended onto the army. Every one of them destroyed heartless when they landed. Vanitas saw flashes of red, blue, and green as they charged their magic. Then, like a wave, released. Vanitas felt himself catch his breath as the heartless fell in waves. Even the huge ones crumbled and dissolved underneath the surge of light. 

Cole jumped down last, leaping far out, the space around his body glowing with magic and crackling with power. A sharp sound, like the sound catching sparks, echoed across the field, and Cole was swallowed up by a burst of fire from his keyblade. Fire roared out in a wave, incinerating a dozen heartless around him, but the keyblade wielders around him were left untouched by the flames. Vanitas caught one last sight of Cole’s hoodie dropping through air like a stone before he was swallowed up by the mass of heartless. 

The chains holding him jerked, dropping him several feet. Vanitas bit his tongue when they jerked him to a stop. Ventus yelped as he was yanked around. The Not-Terra was dodging the armored Terra’s assault, barely. He was on the defensive, barely holding any ground by whipping his chains in front of the armored Terra. At least until Aqua got him from behind, a spell slamming into his back with a force that almost brought him to his knees. The Not-Terra glanced up at Vanitas, a determined, desperate fire in his eye. He raised his hand, calling out for the chains. Vanitas braces himself. No.... He’d been been looking at Ventus. 

The chains holding Ventus raised him higher, then snapped downwards, intending to whip into the ground with a force that would at the very least snap his neck. Ventus shouted something that was stolen by the wind as he fell. Vanitas watched with horror as Ventus plummeted towards the ground. He couldn’t stop him, couldn’t throw up any magic protection, couldn’t catch him. He was useless. Ventus was going to-! Vanitas saw the shadow attached to Not-Terra’s back suddenly jerk away, fly across the ground, and catch Ventus before he could hit the ground, cradling him in its massive arms. 

Ventus gaped up at the heartless that just saved his life, looking as confused as Vanitas felt. The armored Terra leapt to his side, grabbing the chains that bound Ventus. Vanitas felt a shiver run through the chains, darkness leaking out of them like it was disgusted by them. 

The Not-Terra shot to his feet. “No!” The chains jerked, yanking Ventus back into the air, ripping him out of the shadow’s arms and away from the armor’s hold. Ventus yelped as he swung on the chains, colliding with Vanitas. Their chains loosely spun around each other, tangling together until he and Ventus were hanging back to back. Perfect. 

The armored Terra and the shadow, which must have been Terra’s heartless, both leapt at Not-Terra, distracting him long enough for Aqua to appear behind him and clock him upside the head with her keyblade. 

As Not-Terra went down hard, taking the chains with him. Vanitas felt the chains holding them move like a whip, rising up to crack on the downswing. He reached out blindly, just managing to catch Ventus’s hand before the whip snapped and sent them both flying. They flew over the heartless in a rotation of earth, sky, heartless, Ventus, earth, sky, heartless, Ventus. Vanitas ripped Dark Heart into existence as Ventus grabbed for his own keyblade. Vanitas felt Ventus’s hand tighten against his own, holding on to him like a lifeline. 

Vanitas angled them so they rolled when they landed, feeling Ventus throw up a protection spell around the both of them. Vanitas’s shoulder hit the ground hard, and they rolled end over end, over each other until they came to a stop. For a moment, they both just laid there, gasping for breath, and more than a little sore. Vanitas pushed himself to his feet, groaning as his shoulder protested. That was the one that had been skewered earlier too.... It was a rough day for shoulders. Vanitas bit down a curse as he flexed his hand to fight against the sharp pain. 

Ventus pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing while rubbing his keyblade arm like he’d pulled something. Vanitas turned away. He felt so stupid. Why did he grab him? It was so stupid! Ventus was supposed to be nothing to him now. Not nothing like low, but nothing like... nothing. He was... He didn’t need him any more. He wasn’t supposed to be anything to him now. 

Before, Ventus had just been a tool. He was supposed to use him, then throw him away, take what he needed from him.... Except... what he needed /was/ him. At least it had been. How the hell was he supposed to feel about him now? He obviously still felt /something/ but it was different now. He didn’t /need/ him.... He didn’t need /him/.... Vanitas felt himself getting angry. He balled his fists and clenched his jaw.

Ventus forced himself to his feet with a pained groan, looking towards Vanitas with an expression on his face that was part way between fearful and understanding. “Vanitas.... Are you....” 

Vanitas narrowed his eyes. Ventus looked stupid with that look on his face. ...stupid Ventus.... Vanitas tried to take a step away from him. Just because they weren’t trying to kill each other didn’t mean- just because he’d grabbed him- just because he’d come to save him didn’t mean....

Ventus blocked his path. “Vanitas.... I....” He hesitated. 

“Don’t.” Vanitas snarled, turning to leave. Ventus grabbed his arm, holding him in place. Vanitas looked over his shoulder at him. “Ventus....” He growled warningly. 

Ventus ignored the warning. “I don’t want to be enemies. I never wanted to be your enemy. I never asked for this, to be... sifted apart nice and neat. But... I... can’t say I regret it. Us splitting apart..., it made us who we are. We’ve become our own people. I’m... happy as who I am.” He looked down at Vanitas’s hand. “And... despite how much you may still hate me, I don’t hate you.” Ventus’s eyes were shining, almost like he was on the verge of tears. “I- I’m glad you exist. And I’m sure your friend is too.”

Vanitas pulled limply on his arm, a week protest, but Ventus didn’t let go, just continued speaking. His thumb was pressing into the back of Vanitas’s hand just a little harder than it needed to be. “I know we’re connected, in even more ways now than we ever were before, but I want to make a connection of our own, not forged by circumstance or through someone else. I... I want to become friends... with you.”

Vanitas stared at Ventus’s face, feeling the fight draining out of him. He remembered, through the foggy images that he labeled his ‘memories of before’, that he’d had friends, back when he’d been Ventus too, back when they’d been Ventus. But now....

“Friends...?” Vanitas sighed out a soft laugh, tilting his head to smirk up at Ventus. “It’s always about your friends isn’t it?” 

Ventus grinned. “At least we have some.” Vanitas couldn’t help smiling to himself, nodding ever so slightly. They did. Somehow... that felt meaningful. 

A change in the air drew his attention. The darkness in the area had been lessening, but suddenly it grew deeper. What had been open space around them was suddenly teeming with newly spawned heartless. 

Vanitas glared up at the cliffside. Several more figures had disappeared, dropped down to join in the fighting, but Master Xehanort remained up there, X-blade raised high above his head. He must have called more heartless to fight. “Cheater...,” Vanitas grumbled as he looked away. 

Ventus put his back to Vanitas’s, summoning his keyblade. He held it up in front of him, despite the shaking of his arm showing that it was clearly hurting him. “I don’t know if we can take this many.”

Vanitas scoffed. “Under normal circumstances, I’d call you weak for saying that....” He slashed at a bold heartless that had jumped at him, eyeing the larger ones that started lumbering their way. “But now... I think I’d have to agree.” Ventus was right. Even with the two of them working together, there was little chance they could win against so many large heartless. 

Ventus pressed harder against his back. “Any ideas...?”

Vanitas narrowed his eyes, glancing at Ventus’s keyblade, bobbing in and out of his vision, then at his own. “Yeah, But I’m not sure I like it....” If they couldn’t fight this as two... maybe....

“Are you suggesting what I think you are...?” Ventus asked, eyeing Vanitas from over his shoulder. 

“Yeah...,” he grumbled. Vanitas held his hand out to his side, palm up. “But I want my body back after this....”

Ventus chuckled. “That’s my line....” He dropped his hand into Vanitas’s, clasping it tightly. Vanitas felt his heart, filled with a bright white light, open to him. Vanitas took a deep breath and opened his heart in return. He felt their hearts, now two instead of one and a part, bleed together like mixing inks. He felt a wave of force explode out from them... from him... them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof my brain. Xp
> 
> Sorry this took so long y’all. It’s... it’s been /a month/. Lotta stuff decided it needed to happen /now/ instead of *any other time....* 
> 
> ~~Our water pipes were leaking, I suddenly got a part time job to transcribe a big stack of _mostly billeted lists_ from paper to digital (three weeks before I go back to school), I go back to school soon, I got comics I’m working on and other fics I made myself wait till this was done to write....~~ It’s just... been a month. 
> 
> But here it is! New chapter! >w< b


	26. Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~~~  
>  _I’m not naming another frikkin chapter ‘Graveyard somethin’ I’m so done with it! >:(_  
>  
> 
>  **Warning**  
>  Some depictions of graphic violence.  
> There’s just one, it’s short and italicized. If you want to skip, skit the italicized big right after the ice is mentioned. It’s right at the beginning, second paragraph.

Cole was halfway between panic and elation, though he wasn’t sure how those two didn’t cancel each other out. But with the spells flying over his head and the overwhelming numbers of heartless surrounding them, he kept remembering. He remembered the fighting, the keyblade war, spells flying in all directions, uncaring who they hit. Friends became another blurry face within the sea of other no-longer-friends who would kill you the second luck left your side. But, he remembered the time when they all fought together. The raids, the team missions, the challenges, strangers passing strangers, a sense of camaraderie shared between them with a passing glance, maybe a nod. 

Cole felt a spell whip past his head, so close frost formed on his hair. A swath of ice appeared, surrounding a huge heartless in a block of jagged ice. Memory sprung to life before his eyes. _Bodies skewered on the jagged points, blood dripping down frozen, cracked sides._ A shadow passed over him, a split second later, the ice shattered as someone brought their keyblade down against it, coated in shimmering red magic. 

Cole watched the ice disintegrate, taking the pieces of the heartless with it. Cole turned on his heal and ran towards the middle of the field, eager either to escape the flashing memories that threatened to surface just as violently as that one, or to reach Vanitas, the shard of his heart pulling him in the right direction. The remnants followed him, to a degree. They pressed forward as a group, definitely moving forward, but at a much slower pace than Cole was. So, Cole quickly found himself isolated, completely surrounded by a sea of heartless. That was a mistake. 

A heartless’s claw snagged on his pants, ripping his leg out from under him. Cole spun around on one leg, using his momentum to swing his captured leg against the heartless’s head. It cried out in pain as he ripped his foot away, Moonlight was already in motion, cleaving clean through the heartless before it even hit the ground. Cole barely had time to take a breath before another heartless jumped at his back, digging its claws into his shoulders, through his hoodie. Cole flung Moonlight over his shoulder. Moonlight’s teeth bit into the creature. And he felt it burst against his back. 

Cole tried to catch his breath through the cloud of darkness dust, stumbling a little. Were there more enemies around him now? A flash of pale caught his eye, just in time for Cole to stumble to the side, out of the way of a leaping white thing. It landed bonelessly, squashing like melted rubber, then bounced back to its original shape. 

It was humanoid, a head, four limbs, and a torso. But that was where the resemblance stopped. It’s head was the shape of a squashed diamond, with a mouth made out of zipper teeth, woven together, tightly shut. Its limbs were little more than noodles, swaying bonelessly without any real elbows or wrists. It didn’t have any hands. Cole inhaled sharply, stumbling backwards as the creature launched itself at him again. 

This time it caught him, wrapping around him like a weighted net. It pinned his arms to his sides, forcing his keyblade away and at an angle with no leverage, and tangled around the upper parts of his legs, forcing him to stand awkwardly or not at all. Cole felt his leg jerk out from under him with a force that sent him crashing to the ground. 

The squishiness of the creature softened his fall, stopping him from slamming his chin against the ground. Another one of the squirmy white creatures tangled itself around his legs. Cole heard one of them hissing in his ear. It was a raspy sound, like a rattling breath or a slow moving zipper. He felt goosebumps ripple across his skin, squeezing his eyes shut as he heard the heartless coming closer. 

Cole felt his fingers tighten around the grip of his keyblade, trying to summon a spell. “Stupid.... Should have... saved... the supernova....” He growled into the dirt, through gritted teeth. He didn’t have any spells at the ready. He had to... form the spell... now...! Cole gasped as his wrist was twisted a little too far, forcing the clenched fist to fall from his hand. He felt the grip of his keyblade slip from his fingers. A shadow fell over him. He held his breath. 

A wave of force ripped through the enemies, tearing them to shreds. Cole felt the creature around him disintegrate, or rather, he felt it being peeled off him by the blast. Piece by piece, yet all at once, the creature disappeared. He felt the wave of force grab at his clothes, almost trying to pull him away too. But he was left behind as it moved beyond. There was a moment of silence, like the world itself was trying to catch its breath. 

Cole slowly raised his head, watching the last few ribbons of what had been his captor dissolve into nothing from where they clung to his arms. He sat up, sitting back on his heels, numbly looking at the suddenly clear space around him. His mind was ten steps behind, like it was still vibrating from the force of the blast. “What... happened...?” Cole breathed, his words mumbled and slurred almost to incomprehensibility. “Where did...?” He felt something, and turned his head to look towards the origin of the blast of force. 

Standing there, perfectly still, head tilted towards the sky, was a person Cole had never seen before, but one who seemed eerily familiar. His mind struggled to catch up as he looked at the stranger’s heart. It looked like... it felt like... it was like... two hearts, two very similar, very close hearts, laid over top of each other. Cole blinked, his mouth slowly opening to form words. “Vani...? Is that you...?”

The stranger turned, looking down at Cole. Cole was looking at his eyes. They were... purple. It suited him. The stranger smiled softly. “Yeah. I’m in here. Don’t worry. It’s just temporary.” His voice was different too, not quite Vani’s, but not quite not his either. He started walking toward Cole. 

He looked so... different. So not Vani. He had blond hair, but with undertones of black, like just the top layer of his hair had been died blond. His clothes were different, or there were more of them layered on top of them. The black jeans were still in place, but Vani’s boots had been replaced with someone else’s shoes. He still had Vani’s tank top, but with the blond guy’s turtle neck shirt under it and his jacket hanging open over it. The blond guy’s arm armor was set firmly in place where it had been before. 

Cole slowly put together that the blond guy was actually Ven, going off what he’d seen from Sora’s Kingdom of Hearts. He still wasn’t sure how exactly Ven had gotten here, gotten out of the dream world that housed the dandelions, but at least he wasn’t dead. That was good. Right? Yeah. That was good. 

Maybe the missing others were okay too.

Vani, or Vani /and/ Ven, knelt down next to him. “Are you okay?” He asked. They asked. 

Cole rubbed the side of his head, fighting a small, growing headache. He pulled a small, slightly bloodied rock out of his hair and tossed it away. “Yeah. A little rattled, but nothing I can’t walk off.”

Vani... Vani and Ven... they smiled at him. The purple in his eyes seemed a little redder for a moment. They leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Take a break. You’ve done so much already.” 

Cole felt like his whole face was tingling. He tried not to blush embarrassingly. Cole felt a smile flicker across his lips as he scoffed softly. “Sure have....” He was definitely blushing. He cracked a lopsided grin. “What even happened? I die for two minutes and Kingdom Hearts gets destroyed? Come on...! I miss all the cool stuff.”

They chuckled softly, standing back up, turning towards the heartless that were brave enough to start closing in on them again. “Yeah well....” They shrugged helplessly. “You did plenty cool stuff to make up for it.” They smiled back down at Cole. “Be right back.”

Just before they could take a step, Cole lurched forward, grabbing his leg. “Wait...! I...-“ He looked up at their face. “Vani.... I need to talk to you... later. About a lot of things.... It’s important.” 

Vani looked down at him from their face. “I’ll come back,” he said softly. It was his voice now. Mostly his. “I’ll come back as just me. Then we’ll have plenty of time. Okay?” 

Cole nodded softly, slowly letting go of their leg. “Okay....” They, Vani and Ven, took a step forward, away from Cole, then charged the horde of heartless. 

 

The air was silent, almost like the world was holding its breath. As they strode forward, step by step, there was a tension around them. The question was practically tangible, they could feel it on their skin like an incoming electrical storm. The weight of a keyblade settled in their hand, ready to be called. The question: What keyblade would it be? Vanitas caught a glimpse of a passing, barely remembered memory, the keyblade that used to be his, theirs, Ventus’s. Would it be that one? Would the x-blade come to them? Rip itself out of Xehanort’s hands and fly to them? Or could another x-blade be forged?

Vanitas felt their hand rise to cut through a heartless that lunged at them. When the heartless broke, so did the tension. The world breathed again. In their right hand, Dark Heart glimmered brilliantly, shining like a starry, moonless sky. In their other hand, Ventus summoned his keyblade. Wayward Wind appeared in its usual reverse grip, blocking a spell a spell-casting heartless flung at them. Vanitas felt their lips pull into a confident smile. They were still separated, yet interconnected. They were two people, moving together as one. Vanitas felt himself grin as their left foot pushed off the ground, shooting them forward, into the heartless swarm. 

 

The remnants of dissipated heartless settled at their feet, collecting around their boots like shimmering black dust. Vanitas felt their chest expand, then deflate as they breathed a sigh of relief. They turned on their heel, seeing Cole behind them, on his feet. Vanitas felt something pull him towards Cole, tugging him away from Ventus. Ventus let him go. They stepped out of each other, reforming as themselves once again. 

This split felt different than all the ones before. When Xehanort ripped them apart, it hurt so much, Ventus almost died, and Vanitas forgot there was anything to living besides anger and hurt. Then, when they failed to merge, the failure to create the x-blade, that separation didn’t hurt as much. At least they weren’t conscious enough to remember if it did. They fell into separate places in Sora’s heart, Ventus cradled in an endless warm light and Vanitas curling up in the gradually deepening shadows. 

But this time, they separated by choice. Each running towards something more. Vanitas heard Ventus cry, “Aqua! Terra!” as he ran in the opposite direction. Vanitas ran towards Cole, warmth blooming in his chest, more and more as he got closer. Cole was holding something in one hand, cradling it against his chest. Vanitas forced himself to slow to a stop to stand in front of Cole, instead of slamming into him and wrapping around him like he wanted to. He was okay! He really was okay.

Cole closed the distance between them, holding the thing in his hands up to show Vanitas. “Sweetie... didn’t quite make it back.” 

Vanitas felt his eyebrows shoot up. The thing in Cole’s hand, a shard of something multicolored, like colored bits of glass mixed into a clear base, and brimming with light, was his unversed? Cole’s fingers brushed against his wrist, then slowly tangled their fingers together. 

“I... I felt everything... the emotions that were in- that he was made of.... And....” Cole’s hand was shaking. Vanitas could feel his heartbeat through them. 

He held Cole’s hand tighter. “And...?”

Cole looked up at him, eyes bright, with only the barest hint of tears. “I love you too...!” 

Vanitas felt like he’d been knocked flat and sat on by a huge unversed. Something about that- that phrase just.... He felt his heart leap into his throat and his face flashed hot. He stared down at Cole for a long moment. “That’s.... ‘Too’...? I- I didn’t say it first....”

Cole smiled up at him with a look that, had Vanitas been a weaker person, would have made every joint in his body simultaneously melt. “You did.... Maybe not with words... but you definitely said it first.” Cole leaned upwards and pressed a soft kiss against the corner of Vanitas’s lips. 

Had Vanitas been any weaker of a person, he would have passed out right then, and drifted off into a blissful dream. But, since he wasn’t, he kissed Cole back. 

Vanitas felt something press against his chest, pressing /through/ his chest. He looked down and saw Cole’s hand splayed out against his chest, now absent of the glittering shard. Vanitas felt something click into place, filling a space he’d forgotten was there. It took him a moment to fully process it, eyes wide and mouth dry. Everything else seemed to fade away. He couldn’t bring himself to care about anything else, but the person in front of him and the background that glimmered like moonlight. Cole smiled up at him. Shining, cool-light hearted Cole smiled up at him. “Let’s... finish this first.” He said softly, finally breaking the illusion of perfect silence around them. 

Vanitas nodded sharply, hearing the sounds of battle again. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. A confident smile spread across his face. “I think you’ve pretty much finished it on your own. Where did you get a damn /army/?”

Cole flushed slightly, looking away. “It’s uh... they’re the hearts that were scattered when Kingdom Hearts opened. They still had some lingering will attached to their keyblades so... I called them back. For one last fight.”

Vanitas glanced towards the bulk of the army, seeing flashes of magic through the backlit silhouettes of heartless. “Are... your friends in there?”

“Leading the charge,” Cole said softly. He looked a little sad, but only a little. “Come on. Let’s get back in there and kick some heartless butt!” He grinned, calling Moonlight to his hand. 

A grin flickered across Vanitas’s lips, but his eyes caught sight of something else. Well, not quite his eyes. 

For just a flash, a fraction of a flash, a Kingdom Key crossed his vision, defending against the x-blade. And behind it, Xehanort was on the attack, forcing Sora to fall on the defensive. Then a sharp downward strike and Sora was tumbling down down down....

Vanitas clenched his jaw. “I have to help Sora.”

Cole’s eyes widened and Vanitas could see the flood choices flicker across his mind. He only considered for a moment before nodding solemnly, “Let’s go.”

 

Cole felt the old wound his side throb with every foot fall, nagging at him as they drew closer to Xehanort and the last of the seekers, poised on top of the cliff face like oversized vultures waiting to swoop in for an easy meal. Actually, no. Comparing these people to vultures was an insult to the vultures, who Cole actually liked more than he didn’t. These people were cowards. Sitting up on their ledge, looking down as enemies and allies and their /own damn army/ fought and killed each other. These cowards... were such... cowards! At least the foretellers had the dignity to die with the armies they led into a helpless. 

Cole grit his teeth, feeling his hand tighten around Moonlight as he raised it and brought a spell of boiling fire down on a crowd of heartless. His side throbbed dully. It didn’t have the same feeling as the raking of heartless claws. It felt like something had split it open, a blade of some kind, a sword, or a keyblade. He didn’t remember getting hurt like that. But, even if he couldn’t remember, Cole had little doubt that it was a keyblade that gave him that scar. 

Vanitas slowed to a stop a little ways ahead of him, standing next to Ven- oh. No, not Ven.- standing next to someone who looked a lot like Ven, but who wore a long black coat, and dual wielded keyblades, one light, one dark. 

Cole stopped a few feet behind Vanitas, following his gaze, looking up the cliff towards Xehanort. The old man stood alone now. Whether he was actually alone or if the others were simply out of his line of sight, Cole had no idea. Xehanort sneered and dropped from the cliff, landing with a powerful force that frankly surprised Cole. 

He hadn’t expected to feel a kind of power like that from someone... well, frankly someone so old. It felt like a Keyblade Master in his prime, an almost oppressive feeling radiated off of him, so thick that Cole almost didn’t recognize it. But, after a long moment of steadying himself, he did. The feeling of Xehanort’s heart, the echoes of it at least, he knew it, recognized it. 

_Gold...._

Cole blinked, realizing that Sora and Ven had arrived, standing next to Vanitas and Not-Ven. A girl with black hair was there too. Cole figured knowing three out of five wasn’t too bad. 

Sora was staring down Xehanort, eyes burning with a light that was just a little too bright for him. “It’s over Xehanort.”

Cole glanced around. He was right. It was over. Well, almost. The other guardians and the remnant army were finishing off the last of the heartless. He saw a few flickers of shadows fleeing the battlefield. Then one caught his eye. A masked figure in a long black coat. He definitely recognized that heart, that part of a heart. Before Cole even registered what he was doing, before he even considered what he was doing, what he would do, his legs were moving, carrying him across the now desolate battlefield, towards the figure trying to slip away into shadow. 

Not-Vani started when he saw Cole coming at him, fast. He turned and started running too, away from Cole. But Cole already had the momentum built up, and was not particularly good at stopping. He slammed into Not-Vani’s shoulder, knocking them both to the ground. Cole scrambled to his feet a lot faster than Not-Vani, but he didn’t raise his keyblade. 

Not-Vani stared up at him from the ground, mask still firmly covering his head. His expression was unreadable, but Cole had known Vani long enough to read other parts of him. Cole’s eyes widened as he stared down at someone who expected him to kill them. 

His mind ticked through a dozen options in a second. He decided. He jabbed Moonlight into the ground so it stood up, swallowing a shudder at the way it looked like a grave marker in the graveyard. Cole pressed a smile onto his lips, holding out his right hand to Not-Vani. “I don’t want to be your enemy,” he said as he offered to help him up. 

Not-Vani stared at his hand, almost like he expected it to bite him. He was quiet for a long time. “You seriously ran me down to say that?” He snapped. His voice was different from Vani’s, it was sharper and the cadence was different. 

Cole felt his smile spread. “Well, I couldn’t have said that if I hadn’t run you down. Now could I?” He’d missed the quick witted banter. 

Not-Vani glared up at him, Cole could feel the daggers he was staring at him. He stood up on his own, ignoring Cole’s hand. “You’re the one hanging around the failure....”

“He’s not a failure.” Cole snapped, maybe a little sharper than he meant to. “He’s Vani. That’s what he is. And all he needs to be.”

Not-Vani stared him down, his face probably just as unreadable underneath the mask. Then he turned away. “Right. I’m the real failure. And the fake.”

“/Wh-/ no!” Cole protested. “You’re not-“

“Shut it.” He snapped. “You know nothing, you can understand /nothing/. You have no idea....” Cole could practically feel his lips curling into a snarl. “You know nothing about me. So don’t pretend to care.” He stepped backwards, folding the shadows around him. 

“Maybe I don’t know anything about you,” Cole said as he watched him disappear into darkness. “But I really do care.” And he was gone. 

Cole felt a shred of lingering emotion left in the shadows, though he couldn’t put a name to it. He felt a small twinge of pain in his heart, regret maybe. But he forced himself to turn at the sound of a shout. 

Cole felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw what was happening to Xehanort. He was beside himself, literally standing beside himself. Silver hair glimmered with reflected light as the old man Xehanort wrestled with Gold. Now that they were side by side, Cole was positive that they were the same person. The feeling of Gold’s heart was the same as the ones echoing from where Xehanort’s should be. They were wrestling for control of the X-blade, each of them hanging onto one of the grips. Gold was wrenching it up towards the sky, away from Sora and the others, where Xehanort was trying to point it. 

Cole felt his breath catch as he saw someone else appear next to Xehanort. Gold’s friend, Eraqus, grabbed the X-blade’s grip where Xehanort was holding it, and help to wrench it skyward. Gold grunted as Xehanort elbowed him in his solar plexus, raising his voice. “Now! Do it now!”

“Hurry!” Eraqus gasped as he nearly lost his grip. 

Cole saw a look of understanding pass between Sora and the others. They raised their keyblades. One by one, they charged at Xehanort, light and magic swirling around them. 

Ven darted forward first, drawing a horizontal line in glowing golden light before Xehanort. Vanitas added a diagonal one, connected to Ven’s at one end. Not-Ven added two lines, one with each keyblade. And the black haired girl finished the shape off. Sora pointed his keyblade forward, through the center of the five pointed star. Cole felt magic crackling through the air, rolling across the field in waves, a new one each time a line was drawn. It took a few moments for the force to reach him. He glanced around, seeing the other guardians watching too. Their keyblades were all pointed towards Sora, like they were giving him their strength. So Cole did the same, raising Moonlight to offer Sora the light he needed.

He heard Sora’s voice, shaking the air around him even as he spoke in a whisper. “Time to end this....”

A brilliant light resonated through the Kingdom Key, and called light out of all the others. Cole had to squeeze his eyes shut against the combined light of a hundred keyblades. When he could open them again, he saw Gold and Eraqus, who seemed a lot less corporeal than before, speaking with the Guardians of Light. Eraqus said something and Aqua, Ven, And a tall dark haired man Cole didn’t know, all rushed forward to wrap him in a hug. Cole trotted over, not wanting to break up the moment, but feeling awkward standing so far away. 

He got there just in time to hear Eraqus say, “My dear students... I wish I could have done better by you.” Cole noticed Ven’s shoulders shaking, barely containing a torrent of sobs as Eraqus stroked his hair. He quietly decided that he would wait to talk to him about the Dandelions. 

Cole stopped next to Vanitas, who glanced towards him, and silently curled his finger around Cole’s. Gold’s eyes lifted to his, a silent thank you slipping through his look. Cole felt his lips quirk up. _Happy to._

Eraqus slowly pulled away from the desperate hug, smiling softly with a look of pain in his eyes. He stepped backwards, and Gold too his hand. They held onto each other tightly, like they couldn’t risk being separated again, even for a moment. Their forms blurred and faded. Cole saw two hearts floating upwards, one dripping with shadow and one shedding light. Then, he noticed other hearts joining them from across the field, silently drifting upwards, slowly refilling the heart shaped moon. 

As the other guardians spoke softly to each other,

_”Should make sure…”_

_”Keep hearts separated…”_

_”No more funky ‘heart within heart’ stuff....”_

_”Yen Sid would know....”_

Cole heard a soft sound from behind him. He turned around and saw Stella, Haley, Apollo, Grace, and Eddie standing together, like they were waiting for him. Cole slipped his finger away from Vanitas’s, murmuring a soft, “Be right back.” Vanitas watched him warily, but let him go. 

Cole approached his friends, feeling conflict rolling around in his heart. “Hey....” He said lamely. 

Haley snorted. “Hey yourself, dork.” Grace gently swatted at her arm. 

Apollo smiled warmly at him, ignoring Eddie hanging off him like an overgrown, attention-starved koala. “You did good,” he said plainly. “In more ways than one,” he said not plainly. Cole raised an eyebrow. 

Stella stepped forward, holding out her free hand, Stars hanging in a loose grip beside her. Cole dropped his left hand into her right. She felt warm. Stella pressed Star’s grip into Cole’s hand. “You need this more than I do. It’s a reminder and a key.” She smiled up at him. “We’ll always be a part of your heart, no matter how much time passes or how many other friends you make. We’ll be here, however you need.” 

Cole tried not to choke over the feelings rising in his throat. It didn’t work too well. “I-.... I miss you guys.... It’s... really hard, learning to be alone again.”

“So what’s he?” Eddie asked, jabbing a finger towards Vanitas. “Chopped lizard?”

“It’s ‘chopped liver’ Ed.” Haley corrected him. 

“Chopped lizard is more fun...,” Eddie pouted. 

“Which is /why/ it’s chopped /liver/...!”

Stella waved her hand between them. “Focus. Please.” She shook her head, smiling tiredly up at them. “I donno how I lasted this long with these knuckleheads... but I can manage them ‘till you get here. Take your time, Charcoal. We’ll wait up.” She stepped forward and hugged him. 

Cole felt tears spring to his eyes as a lump rose in his throat. “Okay.... Okay I will....”

The others closed in, wrapping him in warmth. Cole bit his lip, squeezing his eyes shut to block the tears. He heard Haley whisper into his ear. “Nice job by the way. He’s a real nice catch~!” 

Instantly the tears disappeared. Cole sputtered as his head snapped towards her. “Whu- bu- hu- Haley!!”

She cackled as she leaned back against Grace, flashing him a sly grin and a wink as the two of them dissolved. Their hearts floated up towards the sky, back to Kingdom Hearts. Apollo sighed and shook his head, holding Eddie by the scruff of his oversized sweatshirt as the two of they disappeared, Eddie throwing out an overzealous bow, which ended with him smacking Apollo in the face /probably/ on accident. Maybe. 

Lastly, Stella’s form dissolved. “We’re still here....” She said quietly, her fingers dancing over Cole’s heart as they dissipated. “Still here....”

Cole looked up at the sky, towards the recompleted heart shaped moon, watching as Kingdom Hearts swallowed his friends again. He felt his heart ache with longing, a wish to be with them, but it didn’t last long. Instead, he turned and walked himself back to Vani’s side, into his waiting arms. He felt Vani’s heart flutter a little when he hugged him back, as if to say _”Welcome home.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Psych! >:D**  
> Double chapter post time!!  
> Heh heh heh heh! >:}
> 
> (All that stuff I mentioned in the other note happened. So no psych on that.)
> 
> This was gonna be one long, ~10k chapter buuuuuuuut..... This is better. 
> 
> Also~ anybody have a cool name for Repliku that is not ‘Repliku’ or ‘Riku’? I have an idea but I’d love to hear yours. :3c
> 
> (Additional note: I have a *bunch* of fic ideas that popped into my head over the past month. So I donno when the next chapter will be out.)


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